8ct. Blue Sells for $20M at Christie’s

RAPAPORT… An 8.01-carat blue diamond necklace was the top seller at
Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Hong Kong on Tuesday.



The pear-shaped, fancy vivid blue, internally flawless piece
by Moussaieff sold for just under $20.5 million, or $2.6 million per carat, Christie’s
said. Its original estimate was $18.5 million to $24.9 million (HKD 145 million
to HKD 195 million).


Other top lots at the sale included a colored diamond
bracelet that designer Edmond Chin created for the House of Boghossian. The piece set a world auction record for its category, at $4.5 million, smashing its
pre-sale estimate of $2 million to $3.2 million (HKD 16 million to HKD 25
million). A jadeite necklace featuring two oval-shaped diamonds weighing 1.50
and 3.02 carats fetched $4.3 million, against a price estimate of $3.8 million
to $6.4 million (HKD 30 million to HKD 50 million).


A pair of pear-shaped, 7.46- and 6.81-carat Brazilian
Paraiba tourmaline ear pendants set a world auction record price for Paraiba tourmaline,
at $2.8 million. Its estimate was $1.6 million to $2.3 million (HKD
12.8 million to HKD 18 million). A pearl and diamond necklace from the
Rockefeller family collection also made the top 10, as did three Burmese ruby
pieces.


Overall, 64% of lots sold for a total of $72.1 million. The
next Christie’s sale is the Paris Fine Jewels auction, which will take place on
June 6, followed by Magnificent Jewels on June 12 in New York, and the London
Important Jewels sale on June 13.