Christie's NYC sold more than $69 million of precious jewels in a single night and more than 25% of it came from one blue diamond ring

Katie Warren

Dec 8, 2018, 03:20 IST

Christie's NYC sold more than $69 million of precious jewels in a single night and more than 25% of it came from one blue diamond ring

Christie's
This 8.08 carat blue diamond ring by Bulgari sold for $18.31 million.

Christie's Auction House sold $69.2 million worth of precious jewels in a single night in New York City.
A whopping $18.3 million of that - about 26% - came from a blue diamond ring by Bulgari.
The December 5 auction also included jewels by Suzanne Belperron, René Boivin, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
The night followed last month's record-breaking sale of a 19-carat pink diamond for $50 million to jeweler Harry Winston in Geneva.

Christie's Auction House sold a stunning $69,225,750 worth of precious jewelry in a single night in New York City.

A huge chunk of that - about 26% - came from the sale of one rectangular blue diamond ring by Bulgari, which went for $18.3 million. The December 5 auction also included pieces by Suzanne Belperron, René Boivin, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.

As astronomical as this sale may seem, it pales in comparison to Christie's biggest ever single-night jewel sale: $115.9 million for a collection of Elizabeth Taylor's jewels in December 2011. It did, however, surpass the past two years. At last year's December auction, Christie's sold $62.5 million of jewelry, and $51.2 million in 2016.

Daphne Lingon, Head of Jewelry, Christie's Americas, said the auction house has seen some particularly exceptional sales this year.

"Over this auction season, we have witnessed the blockbuster sales of The Winston Pink Legacy in Geneva, which set a new price per carat for a pink diamond, and The Peacock Necklace in Hong Kong, which established the record for a Kashmir sapphire necklace," Lingon said. "The excitement and prices achieved in our New York sale tonight, including the exceptional price achieved for the sensational Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond Ring by Bulgari and the world auction record realized for Suzanne Belperron, mark a perfect ending to our successful year of global jewelry auctions."

Here's a look at 10 of the most expensive jewels Christie's sold on December 5, ranked from least to most expensive.

A 6.28 carat cushion-cut Belle Époque Kashmir sapphire ring of 6.28 sold for $936,500.

A rectangular-cut D color diamond ring of 18.77 carats by Carvin French also went for $936,500.

A cushion-cut fancy vivid green diamond ring of 3.01 carats sold for $972,500.

This rectangular-cut D color diamond ring of 12.64 carats by jeweler Harry Winston sold for $1.06 million.

This eye-catching, 8.0 carat oval-cut fancy vivid yellow diamond ring by Gillot & Co. was bought for $1.30 million.

These pear-shaped earrings, called "The Foxfire Diamonds" are 37.87 and 36.80 carats each and sold for $1.57 million.

An old European-cut D color, internally flawless diamond ring of 15.19 carats sold for $1.69 million.

A rectangular-cut D color diamond ring of 28.70 carats sold for $2.05 million.

This heart-shaped pendant necklace, a fancy intense pink diamond of 15.56 carats, sold for $9.53 million.

And the most expensive sale of the night was a cushion-cut fancy vivid blue diamond ring of 8.08 carats by Bulgari, which went for $18.31 million. Christie's calls it "among the finest blue diamonds ever to have come to market."

Next Story The best barware, tools, and accessories you can buy