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A 49.91-carat diamond ring is among the highlights of the Stream Family Collection auction at Christie’s, where it will carry a $700,000 upper estimate.
The piece, from around 1970, bears an old European brilliant-cut, very-light-green-yellow, VS1-clarity diamond in a marquise and round-diamond surround. The ring will go under the hammer at A Treasured History: The Stream Family Collection, a June 10 live auction in New York that will continue online until June 17, Christie’s said Monday.
Other jewelry pieces include a Tiffany & Co. Art Deco bracelet bearing square cushion pyramidal Colombian emeralds alternating between marquise, square and old-cut diamonds. That piece has a high price of $500,000. Another lot is a Cartier gold bracelet with an upper estimate of $70,000, which features coral beads and single-cut diamonds.
Matilda Geddings Gray, a businesswoman and collector, took over the leadership of her family’s establishments in 1921. In 1933, she started collecting Fabergé, before the artist became well-known in the US. Her niece, Matilda Gray Stream, carried on her legacy, overseeing the Gray Estate.
“A true tale of two Matildas…. The Fabergé they amassed ranks among the finest in the world, built slowly and deliberately, each object chosen with exceptional care,” said Capera Ryan, deputy chairman of the Americas region for Christie’s. “The jewelry is a remarkable time capsule, composed of pieces acquired not for fashion, but for their enduring quality and artistry.”
As well as Fabergé and jewelry items, the collection also features paintings, European furniture, antiques and porcelain. Those include a gem-set silver rhinoceros from 1920 and a Russian three-color gold cup from 1790 — both from Fabergé — as well as paintings from Diego Rivera and William-Adolphe Bouguereau.
Image: The 49.91-carat diamond ring. (Christie’s)
