Christie's Garners $7M at Paris Auction

RAPAPORT... Christie's brought in $6.9 million from its Fine Jewels salein Paris, with a fancy orangey-pink diamond ring fetching more than eight timesits high estimate. The old-cut, 6.32-carat, type IIa, VS2-clarity diamond wasthe top-grossing lot, going for $717,596 against a high estimate of EUR 80,000($88,473), or $113,544 per carat. Christie's sold a total of 80% of the lots onoffer at last week's auction. A rectangular cut-cornered, 11.16-carat, E-color,VVS1-clarity, type IIa diamond ring, flanked by baguette-cut diamonds, broughtin $544,306, breaking its high valuation of EUR 300,000 ($331,773). Meanwhile, several other pieces smashed their upper presaleestimates, including a rare Art Deco bracelet by Cartier featuring cabochoncoral beads, black enamel and circular-cut diamonds. The piece, made in the1940s, went for $490,986, beating its EUR 200,000 ($221,182) estimate. Amarquise-cut, 3.01-carat, fancy light-pink, VVS1-clarity diamond ring by DeBeers went for more than four times its EUR 75,000 ($82,943) estimate, sellingfor $344,357, or $114,404 per carat. A Belle ??poque brooch set with a rectangular-cut,15.55-carat emerald, surrounded by old-cut and single-cut diamonds, fetched$236,051, over seven times its EUR 30,000 ($33,177) valuation. Pieces byrenowned jewelry houses also did well, including a Bulgari necklace, whichgarnered more than five times its high estimate. Image: The 6.32-carat orangey-pink diamond. (Christie's)