133ct. Yellow Diamond Shines at Sotheby’s New York

A 133.03-carat yellow diamond took center stage at the latest Sotheby’s jewelry auction in New York, fetching $5.5 million and surpassing its presale estimate.

The unmounted cushion modified brilliant-cut, VS2-clarity stone became the largest fancy-vivid-yellow diamond ever to sell at auction, Sotheby’s said Wednesday. It beat its original $5 million upper price tag.

The sale saw strong demand for vintage jewels from iconic designers including Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and Harry Winston. Private collections from old Hollywood legends such as Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara Sinatra, Tony Randall and Red Skelton also proved popular, the auction house noted. All 10 pieces of Moore’s jewelry sold, for a total of $315,700, well above their $232,000 high estimate.

Meanwhile, Skelton’s collection brought in $3.7 million against a $2.2 million upper price tag. A Burmese pink sapphire and diamond ring belonging to the American entertainer and comedian went for $1.1 million, seven times its high estimate. In addition, a Harry Winston ruby and diamond bracelet sold for well over its presale estimate — the buyer being Harry Winston itself.

In total, the December 5 Magnificent Jewels auction garnered $38.4 million.

“We are extremely proud of today’s strong and promising results, further confirming that there continues to be exceptional value and broad interest in truly rare jewels, especially those with provenance,” said Quig Bruning, head of jewelry for America and Europe, the Middle East and Asia (EMEA) at Sotheby’s.

Here are the other top-ranking pieces: