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Christie's Geneva Sale Totals $102M
Pear-Shape, 101.73-Ct. Diamond Sells For $27M
May 16, 2013 2:55 AM
By Avi Krawitz
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RAPAPORT... Christie’s Geneva sale of magnificent jewels totaled $102.1 million (CHF 98.8 million) with the top lot setting a record auction price for a colorless diamond. The auction sold 86 percent by lot and 93 percent by value. (See video feature about the auction here).
The headline lot was a pear-shaped, 101.73-carat, D color, flawless diamond that sold for $26.7 million, or $254,400 per carat, to Harry Winston Inc. The company named the stone the Winston Legacy.
“Harry Winston acquired the most perfect diamond ever offered for sale at auction, ‘Winston Legacy,’ continuing the tradition of buying and selling only the very best, a trait of the founder Mr. Winston himself,” said Rahul Kadakia, the head of jewelry as Christie's Switzerland and Americas. “World record prices were set for diamonds, pearls and sapphires, thereby firmly establishing the international appetite for the most beautiful gems and jewels in a record-breaking $102 million auction at Christie's Geneva.”
The second top lot of the sale was a single-strand natural pearl necklace that sold for $8.5 million.
Laurence Graff bought an oval-shaped, 26.24-carat, D color, potentially flawless diamond ring for $4.5 million, or $170,200 per carat. A pear-shaped, 23.43-carat, D color, potentially flawless diamond sold to Essex Global Trading for $3.6 million, or $148,700 per carat. The fifth top lot was The Star of Kashmir, a cushion-shaped, 19.88-carat sapphire, which sold to a private buyer for $3.5 million, or $175,202 per carat.
Christie’s reported that 20 lots sold for more than $1 million at the auction and that a total of 147 buyers from 31 countries won lots.
*Picture of 101.73 carat diamond courtesy of Christie's.
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Tags:
Avi Krawitz, Christie's, diamonds, geneva, Graff, Harry Winston, Rapaport
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