20ct. Pink Diamond Could Fetch $16.5M at Phillips

A 20.19-carat, fancy-intense-pink diamond will be the top lot at Phillips’s inaugural Geneva Jewels auction on November 6.

With an estimate of CHF 10 million to CHF 15 million ($11 million to $16.5 million), the cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, VVS1-clarity gem is the fourth-largest intense-pink diamond ever to appear at auction, according to Benoît Repellin, Phillips’s worldwide head of jewelry.

The 110-lot sale, Geneva Jewels Auction: ONE, will take place at the Swiss city’s Hôtel La Réserve and feature a number of impressive diamonds, as well as a curated selection of untreated colored rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

Among the highlights are pieces by French jewelry houses Fred and Sterlé, a purplish-pink diamond from British jeweler Boodles, and signed items from brands such as Bulgari, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels. Also in the mix are contemporary jewelers Viltier, Dries Criel, Hemmerle, Maison Alix Dumas, Margaret, and Silvia Furmanovich.

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Aside from the fancy-intense-pink diamond leading the sale, the top lots are:

• A 54.27-carat, fancy-intense-yellow, internally flawless diamond with an estimate of CHF 1.2 million to CHF 1.6 million ($1.3 million to $1.8 million).

• A gold ring by Fred featuring an oval, 15.60-carat, D-color, VS2 diamond with baguette-diamond accents. Its estimate is CHF 450,000 to CHF 720,000 ($500,000 to $800,000).

• A pair of Bulgari earrings featuring two unheated Burmese sapphires of 16.66 and 17.74 carats respectively, as well as diamonds and rubies. They bear a price tag of CHF 315,000 to CHF 500,000 ($350,000 to $550,000).

• A diamond-set ring by Graff with a 9.37-carat, unheated ruby from east Africa at the center, carrying an estimate of CHF 290,000 to CHF 450,000 ($320,000 to $500,000).

• A pair of drop-shaped natural pearl earrings by Sterlé, circa 1960s, with brilliant-cut, marquise-shaped and baguette diamonds. Their estimate is CHF 270,000 to CHF 450,000 ($300,000 to $500,000).

• A diamond-set ring with a step-cut, 5.02-carat, unheated Kashmir sapphire and an estimated value of CHF 180,000 to CHF 270,000 ($200,000 to $300,000).

• A platinum ring by Boodles with an oval, 1.52-carat, fancy-intense-purplish-pink, SI2 diamond  as its center stone and brilliant-cut diamonds accenting the shank. Its estimate is CHF 180,000 to CHF 270,000 ($200,000 to $300,000).

• A gold necklace with a ribbon design supporting a drop-shaped Colombian emerald with circular-cut and baguette diamond accents. The clasp boasts shield-shaped, hexagonal and baguette diamonds. The piece has an estimate of CHF 140,000 to CHF 200,000 ($160,000 to $220,000).

• A ring featuring a cut-cornered square modified brilliant-cut, 24.07-carat, fancy-deep-brownish yellow, VS1 diamond and brilliant-cut diamond accents, with an estimate of CHF 135,000 to CHF 220,000 ($150,000 to $250,000).

Main image: The 20.19-carat pink diamond ring. (Phillips)