GENEVA.- Hot on the heels of record-breaking live watch sales on Sunday, Sotheby’s Geneva closes its autumn seasons of live luxury sales on a high with both its flagship jewellery sales achieving stunning results, grossing a combined $51,326,376 / 41,325,584 CHF.
The Royal and Noble Sale
Sotheby’s Royal and Noble sale, which is held every November in Geneva and is the only auction of its kind in the world, secured its third consecutive white glove sale, generating $14,328,947 / 11,536,994 CHF – the highest value achieved for a Royal and Noble sale since they became a stand-alone fixture on Sotheby’s sale yearly calendar in 2023.
The Royal and Noble Sale was led by the sensational auction of lot 665, the Napoleon brooch- pendant, also referred to as a hat button which the French Emperor used to sport on his bicorne on special occasions. In a bidding battle that lasted just under ten minutes, four phone bidders, one online bidder and another bidder in the auction room fought over the unique Napoleonic diamond jewel which eventually made 30 times its low estimate to reach $ 4,380,534 / 3,527,000 CHF. It went to a distinguished international collector now in possession of one of the most talked about historical antique auction jewel of the year.
The Royal and Noble Sale featured another Napoleonic jewel in lot 664, a historically important unmounted cushion-shaped green beryl weighing 132.66 carats, said to have been worn by Napoleon on his ermine-lined, crimson velvet coronation mantle. Acquired by a US museum which was bidding online, the substantial gemstone fetched an astonishing price for a beryl stone at $1,041,044 / 838,200 CHF, more than 25 times its low estimate – a clear sign of the timeless potency and currency of Napoleonic jewels of the highest order. Other highlights included lot 621, a pink diamond ring, once owned by Empress Catherine I of Russia which was more recently in the private collection of Princess Neslishah- Sultan (1921-2012), one of the last great Princesses of the Ottoman Empire – it made twelve times its low estimate to achieve $ 3,622, 914 / 2,917,000 CHF.
“It is a tremendous privilege and honour to achieve a third white-glove Royal and Noble sale with such a wonderfully eclectic collection — a true testament to the enduring power of provenance, whether its origins lie in the courts of Europe, the Ottoman Empire, or the Middle East. Among the highlights of tonight’s sale, it would be remiss not to mention the extraordinary result for the Napoleon brooch, which soared beyond our expectations. Yet I am equally moved that, amidst the most dazzling royal jewels, we were able to present — and find a new home for — something as modest yet historically significant as the piece of embroidery that served as a sample in the creation of Queen Elizabeth II’s il lustrious coronation gown, designed by Norman Hartnell in 1952. There is also the extraordinary result at over $3.6 million, for a light pink diamond ring beguiling us with over three hundred years of traceable noble history. It comes only second in value to the famed Mazarin light pink diamond, formerly part of the French crown jewels. Only at Sotheby’s Royal and Noble Jewels Sale can such compelling, storied treasures be found, and I am already looking forward to curating next year’s auction”. -- Andres White Correal, Chairman Jewellery Europe and Middle East, Head of Noble Jewels.
The High Jewelry Sale
This November 2025 edition of Sotheby’s High Jewelry Sale generated $36,997,429 / 29,788,590 CHF sale total with 94% of lots sold of which 98% of were above their low estimate and over 75% above their high estimate.
The sale featured a very special collection of nearly forty pieces, majoring in fabulously rare and often unique Cartier pieces, under the designation ‘Aria of Jewels: the Collection of a Distinguished Lady’. The magnificent private collection belonged to Antje-Katrin Kühnemann (1945-2025), German television's first ever on-screen doctor who revolutionised the understanding of medicine, illnesses, treatments and well being with her unparalleled ability to connect across classes and generations. Ms Kühnemann was also a philanthropist who nurtured a fervent, life-long passion for rare and magnificent jewels. Other than Cartier, her collection included highly colourful and bold jewels by Sabadini and pieces by De Grisogono which all performed well in the sale - altogether, the collection sold for $15.5 million / 12.3 million CHF, twice its low overall estimate. More pieces from ‘Aria of Jewels: the Collection of a Distinguished Lady’ are offered on Sotheby’s Geneva Fine Jewelry online only sale which runs until Friday 14 November.
Another group of stunning jewels from an important private collection of only Van Cleef & Arpels pieces greatly outperformed their estimate.
“With three-quarters of the lots in our High Jewelry sale soaring well above their high estimates, and an exceptionally strong sell-through rate, we happily continue to witness a remarkably robust jewellery market. High-quality coloured gemstones, particularly those created by the great jewellery houses such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, are performing outstandingly well. In this sale, yellow diamonds truly captured collectors’ hearts, selling in many form, from necklaces and rings to earrings. Rubies also achieved exceptional results, and we were delighted to see De Grisogono, a brand with a beautifully distinctive aesthetic, perform so strongly. As we close a spectacular year of live jewellery sales in Geneva, our results leave us both encouraged and inspired as we look ahead to 2026.” -- Jessica Wyndham, Head of Magnificent Jewels, Sotheby’s Geneva
