golconda diamonds

You have to be a very important collector to get your own sale at Christie's. Most collections are amassed into larger sales but a single owner collection of 10 jewels is set for December 10, is set for the same day as the New York Jewels sale at Christie's New York. This smaller sale features some big stones. The most important is the "Evening Star" diamond, a pear-shaped, 39-carat, D-color diamond mounted in a platinum pendant. This stone is a type IIa diamond the type which was found in India's famous ancient Golconda mines. It is certified to be VVS1 clarity and is accompanied by a working diagram indicating that the clarity may be potentially internally flawless.

The Evening Star alone is estimated at $3.6 million to $5.5 million. The name comes from the owner's habit of wearing the stone to evening galas. She wore the stone suspended from a diamond necklace that consisted of 68 graduated pear-shaped diamonds. That necklace is also for sale with an estimated value of $400,000 to $600,000. And to complete the parure you can pick up the matching pair of diamond ear pendants with two pear-shaped, D-color diamonds of 10.21 and 10.51 carats. The earrings which are also type IIa stones are estimated to bring in $1.7 million to $2.5 million.

Other diamond pieces in the sale include a diamond bracelet by Van Cleef and Arpels and a 36.78-carat, rectangular-cut, D-color, internally flawless diamond ring mounted in platinum with an estimated value of between $2.75 million and $3.5 million. If diamonds aren't your favorite you can bid on an a rare color-change alexandrite ring. The 3.6 carat stone show teal in daylight and purple in incandescent light.

[via National Jeweler]

Celebrity jewels are on the auction block again this fall. The Magnificent Jewels sales from Christie's on October 16 in New York City will include more than $25 million worth of jewels including property from the estate of actress Lucille Desiree Ball. The collection features signed jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels such as a suite of yellow sapphire and diamond jewelry that includes a pendant necklace, a pair of ear clips and ring. A portion of the proceeds from this collection go to the The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York. The sale will also feature a variety of important diamonds including a 38.47 D,VS1 diamond estimated to sell for $2,300,000-$2,500,000 and several colored diamonds such as a pear-shaped fancy blue-gray diamond of 7.88 carats with an estimate of $700,000-$1,000,000 and a pear-shaped fancy vivid orangy-yellow diamond of 12.55 carats with an estimate of $800,000-$1,200,000.

Christie's is also holding a separate sale on the same day of 40 pieces from a private collection valued at $4 million. The collection features a variety of Harry Winston pieces including a rectangular-cut, D, VVS2 Type IIa 23.14 carat diamond ring which is estimated to sell for $800,000-$1,200,000. Type IIa diamonds are sometimes referred to as Golconda diamonds because they were first seen in the Golconda region of India and they are exceptionally clean and dazzling. My favorite piece of the 40-piece collection is the Tiffany & Co. brooch shown above. It is shaped like a Maltese cross with a stained glass design of sapphires, gold and diamonds around a central square-cut aquamarine, weighing approximately 19.48 carats. It is estimated to sell for $15,000-$25,000.