Anna Hu Ring Sets Auction Record for Chinese Contemporary Jewelry Artist
June 06, 13
Anna Hu's Orpheus Ring
(IDEX Online News) – Designer Anna Hu's "Orpheus" smashed its pre-sale estimate at the recent Christie's Magnificent Jewels Auction in Hong Kong. The jadeite ring sold for $2.59 million, more than five times its pre-sale estimate of $500,000. The outstanding result was also a sales record for a Chinese contemporary jewelry artist.
The ring, inspired by the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, features a 45.39-carat emerald green jadeite cabochon surrounded by pavé diamonds.
A briolette emerald drop, shaped like a note, hangs down and echoes Hu’s background as a classically trained cellist. The ring is further enhanced by yellow and pink diamonds mounted in 18K white, pink and yellow gold. The diamonds total 4.51 carats.
In mythology, Orpheus was the ancient Greek poet, singer, and lyre player whose love for his wife, Eurydice, was so great that he willingly descended into the Underworld in an attempt to bring her back.