The Magnificent Jewels part of the sale features important diamond and colored stone jewels, many from distinguished private collections, including those of Patricia Kluge.
A pair of platinum and diamond pendant-earclips set throughout with pear-shaped diamonds worth $600,000-800,000, from the Patricia Kluge collection. (Courtesy of Sotheby's)
The Patricia Kluge collection is a major highlight of the sale, with the foundation of her collection being her white diamonds, including the impressive pair of platinum and diamond pendant-ear clips, set with almost 64 carats of pear-shaped diamonds, worth an estimated $600-800,000.
Intense yellow diamonds along with suites of sapphires and rubies are also featured in the glamorous Kluge jewels. A sapphire and diamond panthère Cartier wristwatch made around 1985 speaks of Mrs. Kluge’s refined taste; it has an estimated value of $100-150,000.
The sale offers superb examples of the natural colors found in nature, from warm yellow and red, to cool green and blue. A magnificent fancy vivid yellow diamond necklace worth $2-3million, from another private collection, is believed to be the first necklace like it to ever to appear at auction.
Another stunning example from Tiffany & Co. is a bracelet with fourteen beautifully matched Colombian emeralds. Weighing almost 40 carat’s, it’s skillfully set in an art deco design, and made around 1925. This piece is expected to fetch about $350-550,000.
This yellow diamond necklace set with 42 GIA-certified fancy vivid yellow diamonds weighs a total of 100.17 carats is expected to fetch $2,000,000-3,000,000. (Courtesy of Sotheby's)
Among the other superb jewels on offer is a ruby and diamond ring formerly owned by Isabella Stewart Gardner, and is one of the finest ‘pigeon blood red’ rubies to be offered on the market (est. $1-1.5 million). Another highlight is a rare fancy intense pinkish orange diamond ring, set with a 7.67 carat’s. It is the largest flawless diamond of this color graded by the Gemological Institute of America to date, and is worth $2.5-3.5 million.
A majority of white diamonds in the sale are the highly sought wearable sizes weighing ten carats and under.