7.03ct Blue Diamond Sells for More Than $1M per Carat

Sotheby’s sale of a 7.03-carat, fancy vivid blue, flawless cushion-shaped diamond fetched almost $9.5 million, or $1,349,752 per carat in Geneva. The winning bidder wished to remain anonymous. Sotheby's noted that this blue diamond beat out the previous most expensive fancy vivid blue diamond sold at auction, and that the sale was a world record for the sale of any diamond at auction in terms of value per carat. Sotheby's total sale of magnificent jewels in Geneva was $35,762,327 and was 76.9 percent sold by lot.

www.dillonpearl.com

Christie's Dubai Jewels Sale Tops $4M

Jewelry belonging to Umm Kulthum, a legendary Egyptian singer, sold for $118,000 at a Christie's auction in Dubai on Tuesday night. The entire sale reached just over $4 million, with 76 percent sold by lot. The highlight of the sale was a kite-shaped, 5.01-carat, D, internally flawless diamond pendant, which sold for $194,500 to a Middle Eastern private collector. The number of Middle Eastern buyers at Christie's auctions globally has risen 400 percent since 2004.

www.dillonpearl.com

Christie's to Auction Kulthum Estate Jewelry

Christie's will auction a few of Umm Kulthum's personal jewels on April 28, 2009, at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai. The sale will also include rare colored gemstones and exquisite natural pearls, alongside watches by Patek Philippe, Breguet, Cartier and Rolex. Kulthum, the great Arab singer, was known as "Kawab El Sharq," The Shining Star of the Middle East.

Source: Rapaport Tradewire
www.dillonpearl.com

Sotheby's NY Magnificent Jewels Sale Features Important Diamonds

Sotheby’s New York spring sale of Magnificent Jewels will be held on April 23, 2009. The top lot is a fancy blue diamond ring set with a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut stone weighing 8.24 carats, which is expected to bring in excess of $2.5 million. A fancy vivid yellow diamond ring, signed Jacob & Co., is set with a 15.61-carat center stone and 2.55 carats of flanking half-moon white diamonds; it has a presale estimate of $925,000 to $1 million. A pair of fancy vivid yellow diamond earrings featuring matched emerald-cut stones weighing 7.47 and 7.32 carats has a presale estimate of $800,000 to $1 million. Also on offer at the Sotheby's sale are a cushion-shaped diamond ring of 15.4 carats, F color, VS1 clarity, with a presale estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million, and a diamond ring set with an emerald-cut 13.98-carat, G color, VS2 clarity diamond with a presale estimate of $450,000 to $500,000.

Source: Rapaport TradeWire 4/10/2009
www.dillonpearl.com

Sotheby’s Hong Kong Jewels Sale Garners $16M

Strong demand for larger diamonds of 5 to 15 carats helped Sotheby’s generate $16 million in sales at its magnificent jewels and jadeite auction in Hong Kong. The auction was sold 67.6 percent by lot. The top lot was a pair of very fine, marquise-shaped D color flawless diamond earrings, weighing a total of 16.58 carats, which sold for $1.7 million. The second lot was a pear-shaped, 13.53-carat D color flawless loose diamond, which sold for $1.5 million. The headlining lot and a number of high-value jadeite lots, however, failed to sell.

Source: Rapaport TradeWire 4/10/2009
www.dillonpearl.com

Sotheby’s Geneva Sale Features a Rare 7ct Blue Diamond from Cullinan

Sotheby’s Geneva Sale Features a Rare 7ct Blue Diamond from CullinanSotheby’s will auction a rare fancy vivid blue, IF diamond from the Cullinan Mine at its upcoming Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in May. The 7.03-carat diamond was cut from a 26.58-carat rough stone mined by Petra Diamonds at Cullinan in South Africa. Sotheby's presale estimate for the diamond is between $5.8 million and $8.5 million.

Rapaport Tradewire 4/3/09

www.dillonpearl.com

Dubai Pearl Exchange Tender Nets Sales of $1M

Dubai Pearl Exchange Tender Nets Sales of $1M The Dubai Pearl Exchange held its first pearl tender in February, and reported that the sale generated more than $1 million. The invitation-only event attracted 40 companies. Highlights of the sale included an exceptionally rare drop-pair of Paspaley Pearls' natural pearls, which were purchased by Swiss Pearls of Switzerland, and a set of cherry-colored Robert Wan Tahitian pearls, strand and earrings, bought by Shafiian Gem.

Rapaport TradeWire 3/27/2009
www.dillonpearl.com