35 ct Kashmir Sapphire sets World Record

A 35.09-carat sapphire yesterday set a new world record for the highest per-carat price paid at auction.

The Regent Kashmir sold for HKD 74.7m (USD 9.6m), equivalent to USD 271,515 per carat, at Christie’s Hong Kong.

The same gem also set a record back in 2015, when it was sold at Christie’s Geneva for USD 7.4m, equivalent to $209,689 per carat.

That record was broken the same year by another sapphire, the 27.6- carat Jewel of Kashmir, which sold for $6.7m at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2015, equivalent to USD 243,703 per carat.

But the record now reverts to gem known as the Regent Kashmir, an antique cushion-shaped, unheated, royal blue sapphire set in a platinum ring with round diamonds.

“The Regent Kashmir sapphire’s record-breaking price of $271,515 per carat with a total price of $9.5m, is a landmark moment for the sapphire market – proof that the rarest gems still command unstoppable power,” said Tobias Kormind, MD and co-founder of online jeweler 77 Diamonds.

“Gemstones of this calibre continue to be sought after and go up in value.”

The sapphire sold above its low estimate (HKD 65m, USD 8.3m) but didn’t reach its high estimate (HKD 95m, USD 12.1m).

Source: DCLA

392 ct Blue Belle Sapphire could Fetch $12m

The Blue Belle sapphire and diamond necklace is to lead a Christie’s New York sale next month with an estimate of $8m to $12m.

The tassel pendant features a 392.52 carat unheated, cushion modified, mixed-cut sapphire from the famed Ratnapura region of Sri Lanka, together with oval-shaped diamond terminals, and a brilliant-cut diamond neckchain, mounted in gold.

The estimate is well below the $17.6m the piece sold for at Christie’s Geneva when it last changed hands in November 2014.

The sapphire was recovered in 1926 and was sold in 1937 to was sold to British motor magnate Lord Nuffield, founder of Morris Motors.

There were reports at the time that the gem would be gifted to HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on her coronation day, though this didn’t actually happen.

“Sapphires of this caliber are extraordinarily rare,” said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s international head of jewelry.

“This remarkable stone must be considered among the most prestigious colored gemstones to appear on the market in many years – truly worthy of any world-class collection.

Among other highlights at the Magnificent Jewels live auction on 17 June, is the Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond, 10.38-carat kite-shaped fancy purple-pink diamond that is said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette.

It has recently been set into a contemporary ring by the Parisian jeweler Joel Arthur Rosenthal

Source: DCLA

Necklace with 118ct. Sapphire Could Fetch $4.5M

Bulgari sapphire necklace

A diamond necklace by Bulgari featuring a cushion-shaped, 118.35-carat, royal-blue sapphire from Sri Lanka is set to realize up to $4.5 million at an upcoming Phillips sale in Hong Kong.

The necklace was created in 2004 by the Italian high-jewelry house, and it is the first time it is available at auction, Phillips said. The piece, from “an esteemed private collection,” will lead the May 23 Jewels & Jadeite sale at the new Phillips Asia headquarters in the West Kowloon Cultural District, the company added.

The sapphire is accompanied by SSEF and Gübelin gemological reports and appendix letters “expressing the rarity and exceptionality of the sapphire,” the auction house said. In addition, Gübelin awarded it the royal-blue color grade, meaning it has an even saturation not often seen in unheated blue sapphires of this size.

The necklace was featured in Bulgari’s “125 Years of Italian Magnificence” retrospective in China from 2011 to 2012.

The combination of the exceptional qualities of the sapphire, its Sri Lankan origins and the design by Bulgari make this a particularly important jewel, said Benoît Repellin, worldwide head of jewelry at Phillips.

“Unique in its size, color and origin, the stone embodies the transparency and luminosity pursued by Bulgari for its high-jewelry creations,” he explained. “This jewel is a holy grail for any collector, with a classic and elegant design typical of Bulgari that emphasizes the beauty and extraordinariness of the gem.”

Source: Diamonds.net