Christie’s to present Six Sensational Jewels at Hong Kong auction

Christie’s is hosting its Hong Kong Sale of exquisite jewels, in which it will feature ‘The Sensational Six’, selection of six superlative gems that are a treasure for the serious gem collector. The sale is slated for June 1, 2010.

With the rarity of such jewels increasing with time, Christie’s believes its sale would be a treat for the serious buyer. ‘The Sensational Six’ collection offers a magnificent single-strand jadeite bead necklace (estimate: US$6.4-10 million), a superb 5.01carat Fancy Vivid Blue VS2 heart-shaped diamond ring (estimate: US$4.8-7million), a pair of 2.48 carat and 2.03 carat Fancy Deep Blue heart-shaped and 10.12 carat D VS2 and 9.61 carat E VS1 pear-shaped diamond ear pendants (estimate: US$3.7-5 million); a Kashmir sapphire and diamond bracelet, circa 1960, by Cartier (estimate: US$3-5 million); a 10.05carat D IF old cushion-shaped Golconda diamond ring (estimate: US$1.25-2 million) and a four-strand natural coloured pearl and diamond necklace (estimate: US$1.2-2 million).

“It is with great pride that Christie’s offer ‘The Sensational Six’ to the discerning collectors of today’s market. To feature one world class jewel, be it jadeite, a sapphire, pearl, white or coloured diamond, is a joy but to offer such a spectacular group together is an honour. These exceedingly rare, beautiful, jewels will light up the global jewellery stage this spring,” said Vickie Sek, Head of Jewellery, Christie’s Asia. ‘The Sensational Six’ is estimated to realise a combined total of around US$25 million.

Attributes of ‘The Sensational Six’

The magnificent single-strand jadeite bead necklace

This is made of 51 vivid emerald green beads, all of which are evenly and strongly saturated and are highly translucent and glass-like. The necklace is carved from old mine Burmese rough and is an exceptional gem-quality jadeite jewel.

A superb 5.01 carat Fancy Vivid Blue VS2 heart-shaped diamond ring

It has a pure, straight blue hue. It shows no trace of a secondary colour, making it exceedingly rare, both commercially and naturally. Such rich depth of colour, combined with perfectly balanced tone and saturation, has secured the Gemological Institute of America’s coveted ‘Fancy Vivid’ colour grading.

A stunning pair of 2.48 carat and 2.03 carat Fancy Deep Blue heart-shaped and 10.12 carat D VS2 and 9.61 carat E VS1 pear-shaped diamond ear pendants

This pair of heart-shaped 2.48 and 2.03 carat diamonds, of the bluest blue, is exceedingly rare. Each blue heart suspends a dazzling white pear-shaped diamond of the highest quality.

An exquisite Kashmir sapphire and diamond bracelet, circa 1960, by Cartier

This is set with a collection of nine finely-proportioned cushion - shaped Kashmir sapphires. The centre stone weighs 10.52 carats and is flanked on either side by a series of four other stones that weigh between 6.10 to 4.16 carats. All nine sapphires are equal in their beauty, each as saturated and brilliant as the other. Exemplary specimens of the fabled Kashmir sapphire, they show the characteristic cornflower and velvety blue. The beauty of the bracelet is further heightened by alternating marquise-cut diamonds that sets off the full-bodied hue of the Kashmir blue. The bracelet was mounted in the 1960s by Cartier.

An impressive 10.05 carat D IF old cushion-shaped Golconda diamond ring

This 10.05 carat Golconda diamond possesses exceptional limpidity; whiter-than-white. The diamond is cut into an old cushion-shape, a style of cutting synonymous with its Indian provenance and very similar to the 70.21-carat Idol’s Eye, a clear Golconda stone.

An exceptional four-strand natural coloured pearl and diamond necklace

. The oyster producing the black pearls in this necklace is believed to be the Pinctada mazatlanica which can attain a round shape and a respectable size. This species also produces a wonderful variety of colours from black with rose overtones to lighter shades of cream, dark grey and gunmetal colours often with overtones of ‘pistachio’ green or ‘aubergine’ purple. These hues are exhibited in all the four strands of this necklace, of 255 natural sea-gems. The most likely source for these black pearls, which are believed to date from the nineteenth-century, is the west coast of North or Central America.