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RAPAPORT... Christie's London sale of important jewels achieved $22,750,300 and was 75 percent sold by lot. All of the top 10 lots sold for well in excess of their presale estimates. Of the top lots, a 14.66-carat Kashmir sapphire and diamond brooch (pictured below), circa 1890, sold to the international trade for $2,197,044, or more than twice the high presale estimate of $790,000 (GBP 500,000). A 41.54-carat, Burmese sapphire and diamond pendant, circa 1880, sold for $1,625,200 and an important diamond parure by Mouawad sold to the Swiss trade for $1,285,864. Christie's sold a ring with a 1.54-carat, fancy deep blue diamond and a 1.78-carat pink diamond to the European trade for $1,182,178, while a diamond necklace with a 20.72-carat, I, VS1, diamond pendant sold to a buyer from the international trade for $871,120.  Keith Penton, the head of Christie's London jewelry department, said, “The London sale of ‘important jewels’ showed that quality, rarity and provenance continue to be the key factors sought by collectors worldwide. This was demonstrated by two important late 19th century sapphire brooches, one of Kashmir origin which realized GBP 1,398,500, the other of Burmese origin which fetched GBP 1,034,500, and a fancy deep blue and fancy intense pink diamond ring, all of which far exceeded their pre-sale estimates. Three private collections, which included signed jewels by Cartier, Graff, Jahan and ‘mystery-set’ jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels, saw fierce competition among international buyers. We look forward to the sale of magnificent jewels at Christie’s New York on Wednesday, the 10th of December.”
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