Colored Gemstones Continue to be a Hit
Often, the way to judge whether a gemstone will continue to be popular in the near future is to watch how much each specific gemstone auctions off for. Bonhams’ first London auction of 2015 revealed that colored gemstones were still coveted and will continue to be a hit. Many of the lots sold for multiples of their estimates in bidding wars and the entire sale brought in a total of $6.6 million in sales.
Jean Ghika, the head of jewelry for Europe and the U.K. said that “the sale performed exceptionally well,” and went on to say that she was “delighted to see many of our colored gemstones sell so well, some by up to 10 times their presale estimates, which is an excellent indication of how strong the market is.”
Some of the highlights from the London auction included:
- A sugarloaf cabochon Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring weighted at 21.35 ct. that sold for three times the amount of the gemstone’s highest estimate at $443,000.
- A Burmese sapphire and diamond ring weighted at 17.97 ct. also sold at three times its highest estimated amount, for $287,000.
- A 9.05 ct. Harry Winston pear-shaped colorless diamond ring for $534,000.
- Fetching five times the highest estimate, a 7.1 ct. fancy light pinkish-brown diamond ring went for $179,000.
- And scoring $104,000, which was 10 times the highest estimate, was a signed Chanel citrine-set twist necklace.
