Royal Jewels Propel Sotheby's $414M Total

RAPAPORT... Sotheby's garnered a combined $414 million at jewelry sales thisyear, driven by a record-breaking auction of jewels from the Royal Bourbon Parmafamily. That sale, which took place in Geneva in November, fetched $53.1 millionagainst a presale estimate of $7 million. A natural pearl and diamond pendant from Marie Antoinette's personal collection was the highest seller, garnering $36.2 million. The 100-piece collection broke a 30-year recordfor royal jewels, set in 1987, with the sale of items belonging to Wallis Simpson, the duchess of Windsor. Other top lots for the year included the Ai diamond, a5-carat, fancy-vivid-blue diamond ring, which sold in Hong Kong in April for$13.8 million. A 24.70-carat Burmese ruby ring surrounded by diamonds fetched$11 million at the same auction. Two D-color, flawless, type IIa white diamonds, including around brilliant-cut, 51.71-carat stone, and an oval-shaped, 50.39-caratdiamond, sold for $9.3 million and $8.3 million, respectively, at the Mayauction in Geneva. The 2018 total is below the $551.3 million Sotheby'sreported for last year. That figure included the 59.60-carat CTF Pink Star,which sold for $71.2 million, and earrings named the Memory of Autumn Leaves and the Dream ofAutumn Leaves, which fetched a combined $57.4 million. Image: The Marie Antoinette pearl and diamond pendant. (Sotheby's)