NEW YORK, NY.- On April 16, Christie’s New York will lead the spring jewelry auction season with a superb offering of more than 250 jewels in a two-session sale at its flagship Rockefeller Center saleroom. The auction includes a wide range of jewels, from top-quality colorless and colored diamonds, rare and historic gemstones, natural pearls, and signed jewels from the most renowned houses such as René Boivin, Cartier, Graff, JAR, Tiffany & Co, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Harry Winston. The sale is expected to achieve in excess of $50 million.

Rahul Kadakia, Head of Jewelry for Christie’s Americas and Switzerland, commented: “Our April 16 auction in New York includes a magnificent selection of important diamonds, rare colored gems, and superb signed jewels. From the Collection of Riki and Jerome Shaw, offered to raise a very significant amount of money for animal rescue, the beautiful jewelry collection of Kathleen and Martin Field, an Historic emerald and diamond brooch, by Van Cleef & Arpels, to two rare colored diamond rings by JAR, the sale offers jewels to the taste of every collector. Going into the spring jewelry season, Christie’s is proud to present collectors the very best jewelry at our sales worldwide.”

THE COLLECTION OF RIKI AND JEROME SHAW

ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT ANIMAL RESCUE
Riki Shaw, the private collector of this magnificent group of jewelry has made it her singular mission to protect and better the lives of the most vulnerable animals across the country. Inspired by her love for the dog she adopted 15 years ago, she has become a leading advocate for animal rights and rescue in the nation. Riki has steadfastly worked to improve the lives of the most downtrodden animals by providing them with shelter, hope, and love. Through her personal engagement with this cause, countless dogs have been rescued from puppy mills, unscrupulous breeders and being euthanized. Expected to achieve in excess of $6 million, the total proceeds of The Collection of Riki and Jerome Shaw will benefit cage-free shelters in the continued fight against animal cruelty.

A ROYAL EMERALD
This April, Christie’s will present An Historic Emerald and Diamond Brooch, by Van Cleef & Arpels (estimate: $250,000 – 350,000). What makes this present brooch so extraordinary is that the central emerald originally adorned the diadem (tiara) of Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon. The Emperor presented the diadem as part of a matching set of jewelry, made by Etienne Nitot et Fils of Paris, to his wife on the occasion of their wedding in 1810. The Empress later bestowed the set to her aunt, Archduchess Elise and subsequently, in 1953, the diadem was sold to Van Cleef & Arpels. In 1967, Van Cleef & Arpels created and designed the present brooch around the central emerald of the diadem for the great American philanthropist, Mrs. Sybil Harrington. Christie’s offered the Collection of Mrs. Harrington in October of 1999 at which time this brooch sold for $178,500. Christie's will offer it once again to afford a new collector the rare opportunity to carry on the legacy of this Royal jewel.

KING OF GEMS
Important colorless and colored diamonds have become ubiquitous at Christie’s major jewelry auctions, and the New York Magnificent Jewels auction features a selection of gems in sizes ranging from less than one carat up to over 50 carats, top colorless diamonds include a Pair of D-color Internally Flawless Circular-Cut Diamond Ear Pendants of 22.60 and 22.31 carats (estimate: $7,000,000 – 10,000,000), an Oval-Cut D-color Diamond of 40.43 carats (estimate: $5,800,000 – 7,800,000), and a D-color Flawless Briolette Diamond of 50.05 carats (estimate: $5,500,000 – 7,500,000).

While prices for large flawless diamonds of this exceptional quality continue to reach new heights, Christie’s has retained the world auction record for the highest price per carat for a colorless diamond with the celebrated sale of The Archduke Joseph Diamond at Christie’s Geneva in November 2012. This historic gem sold for a record-breaking $21.5 million ($282,485 per carat).

JEWELS BY JAR
Undisputedly one of the premiere jewelry artists of our time, the two rings by JAR in the New York Magnificent Jewels auction are as equally imaginative and unique as they are rich in history. As Lot 95 in the April 16 auction, the Historic Fancy Yellowish Green Diamond, was first recorded as the engagement ring of Countess Eliza to Count Zygmunt Krasinski, one of Poland’s greatest Romantic poets, whom she married in Dresden in 1843. Set with an old-mine cut at 2.49 carats, the present diamond is estimated at $300,000- 500,000. Furthermore, an Oval-Cut Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond of 15.75 carats is estimated at $500,000 – 700,000 and formerly sold in the Jewels of Hope Auction, The Collection of Mrs. Lily Safra, the most successful charity auction in Christie’s history.

TOP SIGNED JEWELS
Great design is the core of what makes classic jewelry hold its value over the long term, and Christie’s will present the most significant examples from the major jewelry houses in each of its auctions this spring. In New York, Christie’s presents over sixty signed jewels by Suzanne Belperron, René Boivin, BVLGARI, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, David Webb, and Harry Winston, among others.