Blue Twin Diamonds to Lead Christie's NY

RAPAPORT... A twin-stone blue diamond ring will be the top lot at nextmonth's Christie's New York auction, with a presale estimate of $6 million to $8million. The piece, bearing two pear modified brilliant-cut, fancy-vivid-blue, VS2-clarity diamonds weighing 3.06 and 2.61 carats, will go underthe hammer at the Magnificent Jewels sale on April 16, the auction house saidlast week. Christie's will also offer three D-color diamonds over 15carats each, including a marquise-cut, 16.69-carat, potentially internallyflawless, type IIa stone. The diamond, which is from the collection ofElizabeth Stafford, duchess of Norfolk, is estimated at $1.2 million to $1.8million. An oval modified brilliant-cut, 6.11-carat, fancy-pinkdiamond ring with VVS1 clarity will also be up for auction, with a presaleestimate of between $1.2 million and $1.5 million. The stone is one of a numberof colored diamonds on offer. Several yellow stones will go under the hammer,including a pair of fancy-deep-yellow earrings weighing 7.55 and 7.51 carats,which are valued at $700,000 to $1 million. A 37.65-carat, fancy-intense-yellowdiamond ring is estimated at $600,000 to $800,000, while a 35.06-carat,fancy-intense-yellow pendant will go up for $500,000 to $700,000. Other notable lots include private collections from Florenceand Herbert Irving and the estate of Jean Tailer, and signed pieces by Bulgari,Cartier, Harry Winston, Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef &Arpels. The auction house will preview the jewels between March 20and April 15 in Los Angeles, Geneva, Hong Kong and New York. Christie's Jewels Online sale will run concurrently, fromApril 10 to April 18. Image: The fancy-vivid-blue diamonds that appear in the twin-stone ring. (Christie's)