A whirlwind two days has finally ended, with some incredible auction results from both Sotheby's and Christie's. It seems that our estimations were correct, and the biggest ticket investors were in fact waiting for the auctions in Geneva to do their biggest spending.
The atmosphere at Christie’s tonight was electric. Although it began to drizzle 10 minutes before the auction started, the room was abuzz with excitement over the beautiful jewels being auctioned. The evening event featured considerably wealthier guests than those that appeared during the day, and many were guests of the Sotheby’s auction the previous evening. So many bidders were present at the Christie’s auction that rows and rows of chairs were being added to the bidding floor, as the crowd at the auction grew and the auction floor lit up with excitement. Except for the noticeable absence of Laurence Graff, many of the biggest ticket investors were represented, with the big draw of course being the 5.50 carat Ocean Dream, and the 13.22 carat Fancy Vivid Blue .
Highlights:
- Lot #50: Harry Winston Diamond Ring - Estimated $800-$1200K, sold for $1.5M
- Lot #80: 5.02ct and 5.02 ct Fancy Yellow IF and VS2 Bulgari Diamond Earrings - Estimated $110K-$170K, sold for $165K + fees
- Lot #81: 14.14 ct FIY VS1 Diamond Ring sold for $165K plus fees
- Lot #180: The 5.50 ct Fancy Vivid Blue-Green ‘Ocean Dream’ just sold for $8.45M and change, just under $1.54M per carat to a phone bidder
- Lot #189: 75.97 ct pear-shaped D color flawless diamond - Estimated at $13.5M to $15M, sold for $14.3M
- Lot #245: 76.51 ct Fancy Light Pink VVS1 Type IIa Diamond necklace - Estimated at $7M to $10M, sold for $9.8M
- Lot #260: 13.22 carat Fancy Vivid Blue Flawless diamond ‘The Blue’ - Estimated to fetch $21 to $25 million, sold for $23.6M, or $1.78M per carat! This makes The Blue the largest ever blue diamond ever sold at auction, the highest price ever paid per carat for a blue diamond, and the highest price ever paid for a blue diamond at auction!
We were there, tweeting live as history was made!
Tweeting live from the @ChristiesInc Geneva auction #theblue pic.twitter.com/M2eF5oSf5m
— LEIBISH (@LeibishFDiamond) May 14, 2014
Live from @ChristiesInc #Geneva, people still registering to bid, rows and rows of chairs being added to accomodate pic.twitter.com/SPv9x722vf
— LEIBISH (@LeibishFDiamond) May 14, 2014
Live from @ChristiesInc #Geneva: Everyone is taking their seats for the eveming session, the excitement is palpable
— LEIBISH (@LeibishFDiamond) May 14, 2014
Live from @ChristiesInc #Geneva: The 5.50 carat Ocean Dream just sold for $8.45 Million, at just under $1.45 Million per carat!
— LEIBISH (@LeibishFDiamond) May 14, 2014
Live from @ChristiesInc #Geneva: The 76.51 ct Fancy Light Pink diamond Leviev necklace sold for $9.8M!
— LEIBISH (@LeibishFDiamond) May 14, 2014
Live from @ChristiesInc #Geneva: The 13.22 carat Fancy Vivid Blue sold for $23.6 Million! Congrats to the winners! pic.twitter.com/S1WAjGDs0m
— LEIBISH (@LeibishFDiamond) May 14, 2014
Of course, the two main draws for the evening were the Ocean Dream and The Blue. However, we would say that overall the auction was a beaming success as history was made for the second night in a row in Geneva. With results such as these to look forward to, we think that it can safely be concluded that colored diamond prices are on the rise, with no clear end in sight!