The yellow diamond – described as coming from ‘an important private collection’ – was sold for $US5.5 million ($AU8.36 million), comfortably exceeding the pre-sale estimate of $US5 million ($AU7.6 million).
The Fancy Color Research Foundation gave the VS2 cushion-modified brilliant-cut diamond a total visual score of 6/12 before the auction.
“The intensity of its colour is on the lower end, bordering on the intense grade," the report stated.
“Its prominent and tall crown, coupled with the concentration of most of its colour under the table area, could suggest that this diamond was recut from an old-mine cut diamond.”
The Magnificent Jewels auction garnered more than $US38 million ($AU57.76 million) in sales. Quig Bruning, head of jewellery at Sotheby’s, said that this auction demonstrated that demand is evidence that demand remains strong for fine jewellery.
“We are extremely proud of today’s strong and promising results, further confirming that there continues to be exceptional value and broad interest in truly rare jewels, especially those with provenance,” he said.
Another notable piece at the 5 December auction included a necklace with a negligee design that returned $US4.4 million ($AU6.69 million).
The necklace contains more than 120 carats of diamonds, including two pear-shaped, D-colour, internally flawless diamonds weighing 28.45 and 28.21 carats.
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| A diamond necklace with a negligée design. |
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