The Aga Khan brooch achieved $8.8 million at a recent Christie’s sale in Geneva, beating its upper estimate and setting a world record for the most expensive emerald sold at auction.
The brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant, contains a square-shaped, 37-carat Colombian emerald surrounded by marquise-shaped diamonds. It was one of eight of the top 10 lots that exceeded their estimates at the November 12 Magnificent Jewels sale, Christie’s said Wednesday.
Hitting the block for the first time in 55 years, the piece initially went up for auction at the inaugural Christie’s Geneva jewelry sale in 1969. The jewel — which French-born Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, a former activist and UN diplomat, originally commissioned from Cartier Paris in 1960 as a gift to his wife — had a high estimate of CHF 7 million ($7.9 million).
In total, the auction brought in CHF 47.9 million ($54.3 million), featuring jewels from the Sassoon family collection as well as from renowned designers such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Harry Winston, and Mouawad. Some 92% of items found buyers, with more than two-thirds of those exceeding their high estimates. Participants in the auction hailed from 37 countries, Christie’s noted.
“The Magnificent Jewels auction was a huge success, with bidding activity on every lot from collectors all over the world,” said Max Fawcett, head of jewelry for Europe at Christie’s. “The market for signed vintage jewels and colored gemstones of the highest quality is as strong as it has ever been, and we are very proud to have set a world record for the most expensive emerald ever sold at auction.”
Here are the rest of the top 10 pieces:
This Van Cleef & Arpels Maharaja necklace containing three pear brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 25.5, 11.24 and 11.13 carats can be transformed into seven necklaces, three bracelets, a brooch and four pairs of earrings. It surpassed its CHF 5 million ($5.7 million) high estimate to fetch CHF 5.5 million ($6.2 million).A Cartier Art Deco necklace, created in 1935, sold for CHF 4.5 million ($5.1 million), more than three times its high estimate of CHF 1.3 million ($1.5 million). It features round diamonds weighing 10.58, 7.8 and 7.24 carats. An unmounted cushion-cut, 20.18-carat Kashmir sapphire realized CHF 2.8 million ($3.1 million), beating its top price of CHF 1.7 million ($1.9 million). A Ceylon sapphire and diamond suite by Reza, including a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings and a ring, fetched CHF 1.8 million ($2 million), within its presale range.A ring with a marquise modified brilliant-cut, 2.79-carat, fancy-intense-pink, VVS1-clarity center stone surrounded by white diamonds outdid its CHF 1.3 million ($1.5 million) upper price to bring in CHF 1.6 million ($1.8 million).This ring, bearing a cushion-shaped, 19.42-carat Kashmir sapphire with a diamond surround, went for CHF 1.3 million ($1.4 million), well above its CHF 800,000 ($905,698) high estimate.A necklace with four strands of colored natural pearls and a clasp sporting an old-cut, yellow diamond within a halo of white diamonds realized CHF 1.1 million ($1.3 million), just under its upper price of CHF 1.2 million ($1.4 million). This Art Deco bracelet showcasing diamonds and Colombian emeralds from Cartier London, circa 1925, made CHF 1.1 million ($1.2 million), more than tripling its high estimate of CHF 350,000 ($396,465). Colombian emerald ring embellished with round-cut pink diamonds exceeded its high estimate of CHF 800,000 ($905,698) selling for CHF 1 million ($1.1 million).
Main image: The Aga Khan emerald brooch. (Christie’s)
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