Colored Gemstones, Signed Jewelry, Antique Jewels and Diamonds...Bidders Wanted It All At Bonhams' London Fine Jewelry Auction

from a Press Release by Bonham's

Colored Gemstones, Signed Jewelry, Antique Jewels

and Diamonds...Bidders Wanted It All 

At Bonhams' London Fine Jewelry Auction 

The sale achieved £5.16 million, with 87% lots sold by value and 109 lots going to new owners.

The Hope Spinel was the highlight of the sale, smashing its pre-sale estimate of £150,000-£200,000 as a result of competitive bidding on the phones. It sold for £962,500, achieving a new world record price of $30,000 per carat. This exceptional gem was bought by a private telephone bidder.

The second top lot of the auction was another icon: an Art Deco enamel, gem-set and diamond 'Tutti Frutti' bracelet by Cartier. Made in New York in 1929, the bracelet, with a highly articulated geometric strap and vine motifs, was sold for £458,500 to a telephone bidder.

The market for top quality, natural pearls continues to remain strong according to the September sale results. A circular natural pearl ring, measuring 16.71 x 10.94mm, and set between baguette-cut diamonds shoulders sold for four times its pre-sale estimate of £50,000 to £70,000, achieving £206,500.

Signed jewelry also performed extremely well with a rare diamond 'Torsade' bangle, by Suzanne Belperron, circa 1932, capturing the attention of bidders worldwide. The highly desirable collectors' piece was estimated at £40,000-£60,000, but after bidding from the saleroom, online and over the phones, the bangle sold for £164,500.

Other key lots included: 

• A sapphire and diamond ring, by Boucheron. The rectangular step-cut sapphire, weighing 7.54 carats, between tapered baguette and brilliant-cut diamond shoulders outstripped its pre-sale estimate of £40,000-£60,000 and sold for £110,500.

• A Belle Époque diamond single-stone ring, circa 1910. The old hexagonal-cut diamond, weighing 8.18 carats, had a pre-sale estimate of £30,000-£50,000 and sold for £80,500.



Jean Ghika, Bonhams Head of Jewelry for UK and Europe, says: "We had an exceptional sale with a number of very rare items that naturally attracted interest worldwide. Demand for colored gemstones, signed jewelry and period pieces continued to remain strong. The sale represented a great start to the jewelry auction season this autumn and winter."

"Period and art deco earrings were also strong performers at the auction according to Bonhams. Examples included a pair of Art Deco diamond pendent earrings, by Cartier, circa 1925, which sold for more than five times their pre-sale estimate of £20,000-£30,000, being successfully bought by a telephone bidder for £134,500. Further on in the sale, a pair of early 19th century girandole earrings, with a pre-sale estimate of £18,000-£20,000, achieved £86,500."

Jean Ghika of Bonhams says: "These two sets of earrings were wonderful examples of classic period earrings, beautifully designed and in their original condition. These factors make them highly desirable along with the fact that they are extremely wearable today."
Bonhams is now expecting the strong market to be reflected during its next two Fine Jewelry sales in New York on 13th October and Hong Kong on 30th November.

Bonhams sells more jewelry lots each year than any other international house and has more dedicated jewelry auctions annually.

CLICK HERE for the full results of September's Fine Jewelry Sale at Bonham's London

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Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com

Mirror Diamond Necklace to be Auctioned at Bonham's

(Reuters) - A "Mirror Diamond" necklace bearing five Mughal empire pendant diamonds with emerald drops has been offered for private sale at a price of $20 million, auction house Bonham's said on Monday.

It said the Mughal Mirror Diamond necklace was an extraordinary example of the colourless, rough diamonds discovered in the ancient Golconda mines in India during the height of the Mughal empire across the Indian Subcontinent in the 16th and 17th centuries, which were reserved for royalty.

At 28 carats, the central stone is the largest mirror or table-cut diamond known to survive, and the five diamonds (ranging from 16 to 28 carats) are the largest known matching set of table-cut diamonds from the Mughal 17th century. It is most likely that the diamonds belonged to a Mughal emperor.

"The presentation of the Mughal Mirror Diamond necklace, containing five extraordinarily well matched mirror diamonds, is causing great excitement in the world of jewellery scholars as well as potential buyers," Bonhams CEO and International Head of Jewellery Matthew Girling said in a statement.

To both Mughal emperors and Indian maharajas, the quality and size of the gem were of paramount importance, and table-cut diamonds were valued for their clarity and size above all else.

At the time, gem-cutters only sought to remove areas with cracks and inclusions, so the shape of the rough gem determined the final outline of the polished stone. As a result, gems had an irregular and asymmetrical form as the cutter was striving for the maximum size possible.

Weighing approximately 96 carats in total, the skilfully rendered table-cut diamonds were designed to emphasise the beauty of the stones without sacrificing their size.

The table-cut description refers to a thin diamond section with a flat top and bottom, where the diamonds have also been faceted around the edge. This faceting acts as a border around the irregular shape of the diamond, to produce a refractive brilliance.

The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has speculated that the five near colourless diamonds were cut from the same crystal.

The Columbian emerald drops were added at a later date, probably late 18th/ early 19th century.

Pendants such as the necklace were an important element of Mughal jewellery and were used as turban ornaments and armbands.

With changing political regimes, tastes and fashions it is remarkable that the Mughal Mirror Diamond necklace has survived, even with its old setting intact, Bonham's said.

Many of India's royal pieces of jewellery were subjected to the 19th and early 20th century fashion for replacing and recycling old jewels with new, Western settings or re-cutting into brilliant diamonds. And as the Mughal Empire weakened and collapsed, many of the royal jewel collections were dissipated or lost.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; Editing by Steve Addison)

Source: Reena Ahluwalia Design

TODAY! Bonham's Natural History Auction

All I can say is WOW!

Right now there is a room in Los Angeles filled with people bidding on some of Earth's Treasures...ancient creatures caught in time along with works of art formed of natural crystal's from the crust (by talented gem carvers from the US & Idar -Oberstein).

Take a moment to flip through the catalog and envision yourself in room looking at these beautiful items....BTW - they have added about 5 pages of stunning gems and jewelry to the end of this catalog.

As the winning bids come in keep an eye on the pieces you love...some may not sell today...call the auction house for more info.

Lot No: 1240

Multi-color Tourmaline Rough and Cut

Nigeria
A large, cutting-grade rough of slightly tapering form graduating from bottle green at the base to rubellite at the top,weighing approximately 1700 carats; together with an emerald-cut bi-color tourmaline from the same locality, weighing approximately 12.47 carats and measuring 17.0 x 7.0 x 7.0mm. (2)

Estimate: $3,000 - 4,000

For more info, go to: http://www.bonhams.com/usa/auction/18406/

Items include:

Sale 18406 - Natural History
Los Angeles, 12 Dec 2010 at 10:00

Natural History - Pearls

Lots 1000 to 1092 Natural History - Fossils

Lots 1093 to 1122 Natural History - Meteorites

Lots 1123 to 1182 Natural History - Curiosities

Lots 1184 to 1204 Natural History - Amber

Lots 1202 to 1555 Natural History - Jewelry

Lots 1205 to 1228 Natural History - Native Metals

Lots 1229 to 1308 Natural History - Minerals

Lots 1309 to 1344 Natural History - Decor

Lots 1345 to 1369 Natural History - Lapidary Works of Art Lot No: 1121 Fukang Meteorite Rectangular Section Stony-Iron - Pallasite Fukang, Xinjiang Uygar, China Coveted by collectors worldwide, Fukang is famous for its marvelous, especially large olivine crystals. Only a single mass of Fukang was discovered. Meteorites typically explode after entering the Earth's atmosphere, often blasting the original body into tiny pieces. Impact with Earth sometimes vaporizes the main mass of a meteorite completely. Yet, this amazing survivor endured tremendous atmospheric and impact forces to transport its bounty of rare olivine crystals to Earth. Weighing approximately 930.3 grams and measuring 2 ¾ x 2 ¾ x1 ¾ in Estimate: $8,000 - 10,000 Lot No: 1355 Watermelon Tourmaline, Rock Crystal Quartz and Silver-gilt Box By Manfred Wild Idar-Oberstein, Germany Of hexagonal outline, carved from a single huge rough of rock crystal quartz, centering on two huge cross-section slices of rare watermelon tourmaline from Madagascar, set into the rock crystal frame of the lid and base and silver border to lid. With hinged silver-gilt mount. Measures 7 ½ x 6 ½ x 3 ¾ in. Estimate: $2,500 - 3,500 Lot No: 1346 Carved Blue Chalcedony Scent Bottle Designed and Carved by Sherris Cottier Shank Part of the vanguard of American lapidary artists, the exceptional quality of Sherris' work is demonstrated through this fine, unique scent bottle. The shapely, gem-quality natural blue chalcedony bottle was carved from a single boulder of Turkish rough. Intricately sculpted all around it display both polished and matte areas, weighing approximately 816.26 carats. The Bolivian ametrine finial, weighing 102.65 carats, completes the elegant form and and is set atop a Brazilian frosted rock crystal quartz stopper, weighing 24.75 carats. The entire stopper fits into the bottle with the aid of a rubber o-ring that creates a secure seal. Height overall: 5in. Estimate: $5,500 - 7,500 Request Condition Report Footnote: This sculpture won an honorable mention in the 3rd Annual Engraving Competition held in Idar Oberstein, Germany.

Pioneering Cartier Pieces Highlight Bonhams December Jewellery Sale

Two important Cartier pieces are among the top lots of the Bonhams Art of Jewels: Fine Jewellery and Iconic Gems sale on December 9th at New Bond Street.

An impressive Art-Deco diamond necklace by Cartier, 1936 demonstrates the pioneering nature of the French jewellery house during a time when they were attempting to push the boundaries of design. Cartier were among the first to use the rare metal platinum, which was to change the future of jewellery design. The signed necklace offered by Bonhams is estimated at £100,000 – 150,000 and is made up of numerous cuts of diamonds: old brilliant, brilliant, single, square and baguette cut diamonds that sit on pierced geometric plaques, graduating in size from the centre.

A very rare diamond and natural pearl bow brooch by Cartier, circa 1960 is a further highlight of the sale, estimated at £150,000 – 200,000. The looped ribbons are set throughout with brilliant and baguette cut diamonds that suspend two large natural saltwater pearls, which are exceptional specimens. These two examples clearly show why Cartier jewellery was described as "Jeweller to Kings, King to Jewellers."

Other signed pieces included in the sale are a ruby and diamond bangle by Van Cleef & Arpels circa 1970, estimated at £10,000 – 15,000 and a diamond bangle from the "Phoenix Wonderland" collection by the renowned British jeweller Boodles, estimated at £15,000 – 20,000. The cuff is designed as a stylised phoenix rising up the forearm when worn, set with brilliant-cut diamonds and lager pear-shaped diamond highlights.

Further highlights of the sale include a selection of impressive natural pearls. A pearl necklace with a ruby and diamond clasp, circa 1930 is estimated to sell for £10,000 – 15,000.

They were given as a present to a relative of the current owner by the first Monarch of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Al Saud, King (Malik) of Saudi Arabia, commonly referred to as "Ibn Saud". A large bouton pearl and diamond ring is estimated to sell for £15,000 – 20,000.

http://www.bonhams.com/eur/auction/17851/