Rockefeller Kashmir Sapphire could Fetch $2.5m

The Rockefeller Kashmir, an Art Deco ring that belonged to the late John D. Rockefeller 3rd and his wife Blanchette, is to appear in a sale of the couple’s vast art collection.

The Cartier features a 17.66-carat cushion faceted base pyramidal sugarloaf cabochon sapphire, with diamonds and carries a $1.5m to $2.5m estimate.

The ring was created around 1925 and has been in the Rockefeller family for three generations.

John D. Rockefeller 3rd inherited billions of dollars from the family’s Standard Oil empire, and was a prominent philanthropist.

The ring will be auctioned at Christie’s New York at the Magnificent Jewels event, during their December Luxury Week, on 10 December.

The collection of Asian art, jewelry, major American paintings and other heirlooms, was held by the couple’s daughter Sandra Ferry Rockefeller, who died in October 2024, aged 89.

Some of the sale proceeds will benefit her youth empowerment foundation.

Source: IDEX

31-Carat ‘Desert Rose’ Diamond Expected to Fetch $7 Million at Abu Dhabi Auction

Sotheby’s is set to showcase one of the world’s rarest diamonds during its upcoming series of luxury auctions and exhibitions in Abu Dhabi, held from 2 to 5 December at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. The events form part of Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week, which will feature masterclasses, panel discussions, and curated exhibitions highlighting fine jewellery, timepieces, collector cars, luxury real estate, and other exceptional assets.

The highlight of the auction is “The Desert Rose”, a 31.86-carat fancy vivid orangy-pink diamond, the largest of its kind ever graded. This extraordinary pear-shaped gem—first unveiled in Sotheby’s “Beyond: The World’s Rarest Diamonds” exhibition earlier this year—makes its auction debut with an estimated value of USD $5–$7 million.

The timing of the event coincides with one of Abu Dhabi’s busiest weeks, which includes the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit 2025, Abu Dhabi Finance Week, and Bitcoin MENA. Together, these prestigious gatherings are expected to attract a global audience of collectors, investors, and cultural leaders.

Following Sotheby’s successful inaugural sale in Saudi Arabia earlier this year, the Abu Dhabi auctions further underscore the Middle East’s growing influence in the global luxury and cultural landscape. Saadiyat Island, home to institutions such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and the Zayed National Museum, continues to establish itself as a world-class destination for art and high-value collectibles.

The Desert Rose diamond’s debut marks a milestone in coloured diamond history—its rarity, hue, and size exemplify the exceptional standards that define the world’s most coveted gems.

— DCLA News Team

Five More Arrests over Louvre Heist

Five more suspects were arrested on Wednesday night (29 October) in connection with the Louvre heist.

One is believed to be a member of the four-man team that carried out the raid, who was identified through DNA evidence and seen on CCTV footage.

The two suspects arrested earlier (on 25 October) have “partially admitted” their involvement in the crime, according to French investigators.

Napoleonic crown jewels valued at over $100m were stolen on Sunday 19 October just as the museum, in Paris, was opening to visitors.

The thieves used mechanical ladder to reach a second-floor balcony, cut through the display cases with power tools, then escaped on motorbikes.

Laure Beccuau, the public prosecutor in Paris, said there was currently no evidence to suggest the theft was an inside job. None of the those arrested worked at the museum.

The four-man gang who carried out the raid left behind a motorbike helmet which provided a crucial hair sample believed to be linked to one of the suspects, together with multiple DNA samples.

The Louvre, the most-visited museum in the world, has since moved the remaining crown jewels to a vault at the Bank of France.

Source: DCLA

De Beers Rough Sales Triple in Q3

De Beers sold $700m worth of rough diamonds across its two sights in the three months to 30 September – more than tripling the $213m recorded during the same period last year.

In the third quarter of 2024, the company held only one sight, having cancelled the August session due to weak demand.

During the Q3 2025 sights, specific assortments were offered at discounted prices. De Beers no longer provides sight by sight updates.

It noted that trading conditions “continued to be challenging,” although consumer demand for natural diamond jewelry remained broadly stable, particularly in the US.

The company said progress seen in the first half of 2025 was hindered by newly imposed US tariffs on diamond imports from India, according to its production report published on 28 October.

However, it welcomed the recent exemption granted for natural diamond imports from countries participating in “aligned partner” trade agreements, announced last month.

Meanwhile, quarterly production increased year-on-year by 38 per cent, to 7.7m carats, although it is down 5 per cent for the year to date (17.9m carats).

Production guidance for 2025 is unchanged at 20 to 23m carats.

Source: IDEX

Alrosa to Extract Gold as Byproduct of Diamond Mining

Alrosa plans to extract gold from its diamond-bearing alluvial deposits in Mirny, in Russia’s Sakha Republic.

The move comes as demand for natural diamond continues to slide, and gold prices reach record highs.

Alrosa, Russia’s state-controlled miner, announced on Friday (24 October) that it was “considering extracting gold as a byproduct during diamond mining at the Mirny-Nyurba Mining and Processing Division”.

Gold was first found in the area in 2020 and Alrosa says a team of geologists has so far recovered 433kg of it.

The proposal is that gold will be recovered as a byproduct from diamond-bearing sands and placer deposits (accumulations of valuable minerals) in the Mirny area. Alrosa will use existing processing facilities.

In 2024, the company bought the Degdekan gold deposit in the Magadan region – in a notable departure from its core activity of diamond mining.

It said it would invest over $100m in the project, which is expected to produce about 3.3 tonnes of gold annually when it reaches full capacity around 2030.

Source: DCLA

Post-Tariff Slump in US Imports of Swiss Watches

Swiss watch exports to the US plunged by more than 55 per cent in September, in what the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry Exports (FHS) described as a “huge correction”.

Foreign sales surged in the weeks before the US introduced a 39 per cent tariff on Swiss imports on 7 August, as manufacturers front-loaded shipments. 

Since then exports to the US have slumped, down by 23.9 per cent in August and now by 55.6 per cent in September.

“Without this expected but nonetheless extraordinary development, Swiss watch exports would have grown by 7.8%,” the FHS said in its latest update.

Hong Kong and China both saw a marked reversal of fortunes, from double-digit declines in August to double-digit increases in September. But that wasn’t enough to outweigh the US plunge.

Total Swiss watch exports fell by 3.1 per cent during the month to CHF 2.0bn (USD 2.5bn). The UK became the single biggest buyer, with imports up 15 per cent to CHF 173m ($218m), an 8.7 per cent market share.

The overall decline took cumulative exports for the first nine months of the year to CHF 19.0bn (USD23.9bn), an overall decline of 1.2 per cent. 

Source: DCLA

Napoleon’s Diamond Brooch Leads Sotheby’s Sale

Treasures that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte are to be offered for sale by Sotheby’s Geneva on 12 November.

Details of the auction were revealed on Friday (24 October), less than a week after the devastating raid on the Louvre, in which items from the French crown jewels, valued at over $100m, were stolen.

Highlight of the Royal & Noble Jewels Sale is Napoleon’s unique brooch featuring old mine and mazarin-cut diamonds that was pinned to his hat during the 1815 Battle of Waterloo.

At its center is a large oval diamond weighing 13.04 carats, surrounded by nearly 100 old mine-cut diamonds arranged in two concentric rows.

The brooch was seized by the victorious Prussian army as the defeated Napoleon fled.

It appears for the first time at auction with an estimate of CHF 120,000 to 200,000 (USD 150,000 to 250,000).

“In his haste to flee Waterloo, where his armies had been overwhelmed by the combined forces of the British and Prussian armies, Napoleon had to abandon some of his carriages when they got stuck in a muddy road a few miles away from the battlefield – including the carriage containing those precious belongings,” Sotheby’s said.

Three days later the brooch was presented to Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III as a battle trophy.

It remained within the House of Hohenzollern for centuries, and passed down to emperors of Germany. It has been part of a different private collection for the last few years.

Source: DCLA