24ct. Yellow Diamond Beats Estimate at Christie's

RAPAPORT... A 23.58-carat diamond ring was the top lot at Christie's Jewels Online sale, fetching well above its high estimate.The piece, which featured a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut, fancy-yellow, SI1-clarity stone, bracketed by two triangular-cut diamonds, brought in $325,000 against its $300,000 upper estimate, Christie's said Wednesday. In total, the auction running from January 27 to February 10 garnered $2.7 million, with 98% of the items on offer finding buyers.Two diamond rings sold for $81,250 each, just above their high valuations. One contained a round, 4.18-carat, F-color, VS2-clarity diamond. The other was set with an emerald-cut, 3.56-carat, D-color, internally flawless, type IIa diamond, flanked by two smaller emerald-cut and two triangular-cut diamonds. A diamond medallion necklace by Graff, bearing a total weight of 35.38 carats, also realized $81,250, within estimates.A number of Graff diamond and gemstone jewels were sold without reserve at the auction. Those included a pair of emerald and diamond earrings, which brought in $40,000, beating estimates, and a ruby and diamond ring, which smashed its high valuation, fetching $32,500. Meanwhile, a pair of aluminum Violet earrings by designer JAR garnered $13,750, more than four times their upper estimate.Image: The 23.58-carat, fancy-yellow diamond ring. (Christie's)