The diamond earrings that topped Christie's most recent sale feature circular-cut diamonds suspended from a pair of shield-shaped diamonds with circular-cut surmounts. They had a pre-sale high estimate of $10 million but sold for $8.6 million.
New York--A pair of D-color internally flawless diamond earrings sold for $8.6 million at Christie's Wednesday, missing their highest pre-sale estimate but still garnering enough to top the sale.
The earrings, which contain circular-cut diamonds of 22.60 and 22.31 carats and are mounted in platinum, were purchased by a member of the Middle Eastern trade. Their sale price works out to $190,700 per carat.
The second highest-grossing lot of the sale also was a D color diamond and went to a member of the trade from the Middle East.
A 40.43-carat oval-cut D-color potentially flawless diamond mounted in a platinum ring sold for $7.7 million, or $189,700 per carat.
Also included in the auction's top 10 was a fancy intense pink diamond ring by Harry Winston and a 6.25-carat Burmese ruby ring, both from the collection of Riki and Jerome Shaw, and a 20.10-carat Harry Winston diamond and a Colombian emerald and diamond brooch from the collection of Kathleen and Martin Field.
All proceeds from the sale of the Shaw's jewelry went to benefit animal welfare.
Overall, Christie's sale of Magnificent Jewels held in New York totaled $60.6 million, with 82 percent sold by lot and 80 percent sold by value.
