On November 13, Christie's Geneva auction of Magnificent Jewels realised a total of SFr.80,615,930 ($85,049,806), selling 84% by lot and 86% by value, according to press release obtained by Rough&Polished. This extraordinary result, combined with the total achieved for the category in May, concludes the most successful year for Christie’s Jewellery department in Switzerland, with annual sales exceeding SFr.183.9 million ($195.2 million).
The top lot of the sale was the historical 76.02 carats cushion-shaped ‘Archduke Joseph Diamond’ which sold for $21,474,525 (SFr.20,355,000), or $282,545 per carat, setting a new world record at auction for a colourless diamond. Over the seven hour long sale a total of 19 lots sold above $1 million with 147 buyers coming from 28 countries, competing enthusiastically in the room, on the telephone and online.
François Curiel, President of Christie's Switzerland and International Director of Christie’s Jewellery Department: “In the busiest saleroom witnessed at the Four Seasons hotel des Bergues in Geneva in recent years, the Archduke Joseph Diamond of 76.02 carats sold for $21.5, a world record price per carat for a colourless diamond. The historical gem led Christie's jewellery auction which totalled $85 million dollars”.
Alfredo J. Molina, the diamond’s former owner and CEO of America’s Black, Starr & Frost jewelers: “I am thrilled but not surprised that the Archduke Joseph Diamond should have fetched such a high price. It is considered the finest and largest perfect Golconda diamond ever to appear at auction, with a noble lineage and royal provenance which literally ‘Fit for a Queen.’ I was blessed to be the Archduke’s guardian and champion for the past 13 years, and indeed it has become part of my very identity. I am honored to have worked with Rahul Kadakia and Christie’s on this historic sale. I wish the Archduke Joseph Diamond Godspeed…and I know its new owners will delight in its beauty, charisma and mystery as I have for so many happy years.”
Tatiana Alexandrova, Rough&Polished, Moscow
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