GENEVA.- Sotheby’s Jewellery auctioneers will once again raise their hammers over the next few weeks, as live auctions resume, offering world-class treasures to a dynamic and diverse global audience of collectors. As evidenced by record-breaking online sales at Sotheby’s throughout the spring, the breadth and passion for exceptional jewels and gemstones continues to drive the auction market.

Originally scheduled for April and May, the upcoming Geneva and Hong Kong sales on 23 June and 10 July will feature exceptional property with noble provenance, including a diamond bracelet gifted to Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, on her 21st Birthday. Alongside these treasures, Sotheby’s global team of experts has brought together an extraordinary group of rare coloured diamonds, led by four stones with a combined estimate in excess of US$ 20 million.

In addition to these live auctions, three online sales will take place before the end of June.

Speaking ahead of the summer season, Sotheby’s Worldwide Jewellery Chairman, David Bennett, remarked, “In the unprecedented circumstances of the last three months, the success of our online sales has shown the remarkable resilience of the auction market. The fascination for diamonds as wonders of nature and for the art of jewellery endures. As we safely and gradually reopen our galleries and salerooms, it is with great excitement that we return to the auction block to share the fabulous quality of jewels and gemstones which we’ve been entrusted with this season. It is a privilege to continue acting on behalf of collectors and clients - old and new – using digital innovation to enhance the time-honoured traditions of auction.”

COLOURED DIAMONDS OF EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY AND RARITY

GENEVA – 23 June
• A Fancy Vivid Blue step-cut diamond weighing 3.01 carats
Est. CHF 4.2 – 6.3 million / US$ 4.3 – 6.3 million

• A Fancy Intense Pink marquise-shaped diamond weighing 7.00 carats, VVS2
Est. CHF 2.4 – 3.4 million / US$ 2.5 – 3.5 million
Exhibiting a beautifully delicate hue, this Fancy Intense Pink diamond comes to auction after more than 30 years in the same private collection.

HONG KONG – 10 July
• A Fancy Vivid Blue heart-shaped diamond weighing 5.04 carats, Type IIb
Est. HK$ 60 – 75 million / US$ 7.7 – 9.7 million
This stone belongs to the same category, Type IIb, as the legendary Hope Diamond.

• A Fancy Vivid Pink heart-shaped diamond weighing 4.49 carats, Internally Flawless
Est. HK$ 58–68 million / US$ 7.5 – 8.8 million
Boasting the most sought-after hue, Fancy Vivid Pink, this immaculate stone is also one of the rare pink diamonds in the world to have been graded with Internally Flawless clarity.

STORIED JEWELS WITH ROYAL AND NOBLE PROVENANCE
PRINCESS MARGARET’S 21st BIRTHDAY BRACELET
Among the exciting highlights of the season is a treasure whose story lies at the heart of the British royal family. This antique diamond bracelet signed by Garrard – the London-based jeweler to the British crown - was a gift, bestowed upon Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, on her 21st Birthday. Princess Margaret was spotted wearing this 19th-century bracelet many times in public as illustrated in photographs, indicating her affinity for the piece. Later in life Princess Margaret re-mounted some of her older jewels into modern designs, just as Queen Victoria had done in the past. However, this diamond bracelet was kept in its original antique setting. This storied jewel will be offered in Hong Kong on 10 July (est. HK$380,000-500,000 / US$49,000-64,500).

THE DUCHESS OF MANCHESTER’S EMERALD AND DIAMOND NECKLACE
Received as a wedding gift, this emerald and diamond necklace belonged to Consuelo Montagu (1853-1909), Duchess of Manchester. A social pioneer born in New York to parents of Cuban descent, she was renowned for her match-making skills, inspiring her wealthy friends to find suitable husbands in the United Kingdom. These alliances, bringing together American fortunes with noble titles led to the coining of the phrase ‘Million Dollar Princesses’. This extraordinary antique jewel was displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London for 22 years and will be offered in Geneva on 23 June (est. CHF 300 – 390,000 / US$ 300 - 400,000).

JEWELS FROM THE LATE BARONESS BACHOFEN VON ECHT
The Geneva sale also features a group of jewels from the collection of the Late Baroness Bachofen von Echt. Highlights in the sale include a diamond bracelet and diamond clips, both made by Cartier during the house’s ‘golden age’, around 1930 (est. CHF/US$ 100 - 150,000 and CHF/US$ 60 - 100,000 respectively), alongside beautiful creations by Verdura and Hemmerle.

TREASURES OF THE EARTH: EXCEPTIONAL COLOURED GEMSTONES
• An exceptionally rare Jadeite Bead Necklace
Composed of a total of 37 jadeite beads originating from the same rough
Hong Kong, 10 July, estimate upon request

• An impressive Ceylon Sapphire ring weighing 105.58 carats
Geneva, 23 June –est. CHF 490 – 670,000 / US$ 500 - 700,000

• An important Kashmir Sapphire and diamond ring weighing 16.11 carats
Geneva, 23 June, est. CHF 300 – 490,000 / US$ 300 - 500,000

TRAILBLAZERS AND STANDARD-SETTERS: SIGNED JEWELS FROM THE GREAT HOUSES
CARTIER
• Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Brooch, ‘Tutti Frutti’, Cartier, 1930s
Hong Kong, 10 July, est. HK$ 1.2 – 1.6 million / US$ 155,000 – 207,000
Following the record set by a Cartier ‘Tutti Frutti’ bracelet in April, this brooch features an impressive diamond as its base. Dating to the most sought-after period for Cartier, it is among the largest to have been created in this emblematic style.

•Important Diamond Bracelet, ‘Course de Feuillage’, Cartier, 1926
Geneva, 23 June, est. CHF/US$ 200 - 300,000
Created during Cartier’s most sought-after creative period, this diamond jewel combines geometric shapes with the stylized representation of leaves to achieve a striking yet fluid effect on the wrist.

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
‘Zip’ Necklace, Van Cleef & Arpels
Hong Kong, 10 July, est. HK$ 2.4 – 3.5 million / US$ 310,000 – 451,000
Dreamt up by the Duchess of Windsor in the 1930s, the first of Van Cleef & Arpels’ now-iconic ‘Zip’ designs came to life in 1950. It elevated a functional item into a technically brilliant and glamorous jewel which could be worn open as a necklace or closed as a bracelet.

HARRY WINSTON
Emerald and Diamond Earrings, Harry Winston
The Colombian emeralds weighing 18.69 and 20.27 carats respectively
Hong Kong, 10 July, est. HK$ 12 – 15 million / US$ 1.6 - 1.9 million
‘Jeweller to the Stars’ Harry Winston’s vision transformed the relationship between jewel and wearer, minimizing metal and maximizing brilliance. These versatile earrings offer not only his signature style, but also a chance to acquire a perfect match of exceedingly rare stones.