NEW YORK, NY.- Driven by top prices for important diamonds and superb gemstones, Sotheby’s spring jewelry auctions concluded today in New York with a combined total of $34 million and a strong 83.3% of all lots sold. The three auctions were led by an incredibly rare 3.47-carat Fancy Intense Blue Diamond Ring, which sold in yesterday’s Magnificent Jewels auction for $6.7 million – marking a new world auction record price-per-carat for any Fancy Intense Blue diamond ($1,920,259 per-carat).

MAGNIFICENT JEWELS
Auction Total: $26.2 Million
Gary Schuler, Chairman of Sotheby’s Jewelry Division, Americas commented: “Our results affirm that the auction market continues to flex its strength in top-quality diamonds, important gemstones and jewels with distinguished provenance. We are proud to continue the long line of exceptional blue diamonds at Sotheby’s, with the sale of the Fancy Intense Blue diamond, that soared to $6.7 million after competition from three bidders. Online bidding and buying also contributed significantly to our total, including the historic Emerald and Diamond Necklace by Tiffany & Co. formerly in the collection of Betsey Cushing Whitney, which we were honored to auction again 20 years after the original sale of her collection.”

THE JEWELER’S EYE: THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF FRED LEIGHTON
Auction Total: $2.8 Million
Jewelry from the Collection Totals: $1.6 Million
Representing Fred Leighton’s philosophy to collect the beautiful and eclectic, bidders eagerly vied for pieces evocative of the celebrated jeweler’s unencumbered eye and exceptional taste. Largely formed by his extensive travels around the world, the jewels on offer spanned centuries of design and featured a wide-range of materials including moonstone, demantoid garnets, rubies, emeralds and many more. A Gold, Turquoise and Diamond Grande and Petite Repeating Desk Clock with Alarm by Cartier led the sale when it sold for $275,000 – over three times its high estimate of $80,000.

FINE JEWELS
Auction Total: $5.8 Million
Classic Ceylon Sapphire and Diamond Ring, Cartier, Paris Weighing 52.89 carats Estimate $125/150,000 Sold for $ 879,000
Kendall Reed, Head of Sotheby’s Fine Jewels in New York, commented: “We are absolutely thrilled with the results of today’s sale, which closed out the jewelry season in New York with a stellar 87% of lots sold. There was tremendous competitive bidding for jewels by established makers like Cartier, David Webb and Van Cleef & Arpels, including no fewer than 18 bidders for the Cartier Sapphire and Diamond Ring, the top lot of the sale and the top price ever achieved in our Fine Jewels auctions in New York. It’s very encouraging to see the response to jewelry offered across all price points, which attracted a broad international group of buyers.