LONDON.- One of Europe’s largest private collections of natural coloured gemstones will be offered to international market through a series of auctions showcased in London throughout November and December.

Comprising 700 natural gemstones with an estimated retail value of £8m, The David Jerome Collection will be offered through online auctions by the Luxury Assets division of UK auction house, John Pye Auctions.

Amassed over a period of 40 years by a discerning European collector of investment grade gemstones, the 688 lot collection of untreated stones has been ethically sourced directly from mines all over the world, including Burma, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Zambia.

Each stone was purchased on merit for the finest natural purity and clarity and has its own independently-issued certificate, which guarantees both the authenticity and quality of each gemstone.

Originally sourced as loose gems the collection contains Amethysts, Aquamarines, Chrysoberyl, Diamonds, Emeralds, Kunzite, Kyanite, Morganite, Opal, Sapphires, Spinal, Rubellites, Rubies, Spinel Tanzanites, Topaz and Zultanites.

Originally purchased as asset investments the gems have, in recent years, been mounted in jewellery settings with diamonds to create a traditional auction offering for the international market.

John Pye Auctions jewellery specialist, Ian Hall said: “This is quite simply a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy from an exquisite and extremely valuable collection of gemstones. We believe the collection to be certainly the largest in the UK, if not the whole of Europe.

“The size and quality of a private collection such as The David Jerome Collection is available once-in-a-generation.

“We are expecting particular interest in the highlights from the collection; in particular a pair of 35 carat oval cut Emerald earrings set in white gold. Sourced from Zambia, these earrings are estimated to sell for £400,000 – 600,000.”

Sheldon Miller, John Pye Auctions Business Development Director said: “Global market availability of coloured gemstones of such natural purity and size is incredibly rare.

“The rising values of coloured gemstones are now outstripping those of diamonds as royals and celebrities alike, including the Duchess of Cambridge, highlight their appeal and have raised their highly prized profile. Auction rooms across the globe are seeing record-breaking sales and we are expecting substantial interest from international buyers.”

John Pye Auctions will be breaking from the norm for such a sale by offering the collection through online auctions - rather than physical traditional auctions - yet still accompanied by saleroom viewings across their UK network including the new John Pye Luxury Assets boutique saleroom at 5 Old Bond Street, Mayfair, London W1.

The online only auction for the first part of the collection will commence on Friday 6 November, with bids being taken until the auction ends at 1pm on Friday 13th November. Prior to the auction, the collection will be on view at John Pyes Luxury Assets Bond Street showroom on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th November.

It will include 345 of the stones, and will be highlighted by the sale of a certificated 16.75 carat natural pear cut deep blue/violet tanzanite, set in an 18 carat white gold ring.

First discovered in the Mererani Hills of the Manyara Region in Northern Tanzania, tanzanite is the blue/violet variety of the mineral zoisite. This gemstone is only rarely found in its natural state and was given its tradename by the jewellery giant Tiffany & Co in the 1960s. Its rapid rise in popularity since then is mainly attributed to the promotion of this rare and beautiful gem by the company. The ring is surmounted by 1.42 carats of 'VVS' clarity diamonds and is estimated to sell for £38,000-42,000. [Lot 74]

Further highlights from the sale include a certificated 8.11 carat natural and untreated pear cut intense green emerald. Historically emeralds have been mined in Egypt since 1500 BCE, and India, and Austria since at least the 14th century CE.

In the 21st century they are mined all over the world, with Columbia and Zambia being the largest producers. Like diamonds, emeralds are graded using four simple parameters–the four Cs: Colour, Cut, Clarity and Carat weight (meaning size).

Unlike other coloured gemstones however, emeralds are graded primarily on both the colour and clarity due to the large number of inclusions they can commonly incur. This beautiful example is set in an 18 carat white gold pendant, surmounted by 0.75 carats of 'VVS' clarity diamonds. It carries a pre-sale estimate of £22,000-26,000. [Lot 19]

An 18.29 carat certificated natural and untreated cushion cut deep pink/red rubellite, provides the final highlight from part one of the collection. From the Latin 'rubellus', meaning reddish, rubellites are one of the most popular gemstones on the market today.

John Pye Auctions have signed up rising Bollywood starlet, Amy Jackson, as the cover face of The David Jerome Collection auctions. Ms Jackson has over half a million Twitter followers and over a million Facebook followers, attracting considerable potential interest from the Indian market.

First introduced to Europe from India in 1703, this stunning gemstone derives from the colourful family of the tourmalines, and is the only tourmaline variety to have its own name within the gem trade. Tourmaline gems are believed to enhance understanding, relax the body and mind, increase self-confidence and aid in concentration and communication, as well as dispelling fear and grief.

The Empress Dowager Tz'u Hsi, the last Empress of China, is said to have loved pink tourmaline and to have been buried on a carved tourmaline pillow. Set in an 18 carat white gold ring, the rubellite is surmounted by 1.16 carats of 'VVS' clarity diamonds and is estimated to sell for £20,000-24,000. [Lot 66]