Christie’s Sells Rockefeller Emerald For $5.5M, Sets Auction Record Per Carat Price

(IDEX Online) – The top sale at Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels was the Rockefeller Emerald, sold on behalf of a private American collector to jeweler Harry Winston, for $5,511,500, which set a new world auction record per carat of $305,000.

The auction took place on June 20 and raised a total of $26,126,500, with 83 percent sold by lot and 89 percent by value.

Harry Winston CEO Nayla Hayek gave instructions to “bring this magnificent gem home at any price,” Christie’s said in a statement. Following the sale, Hayek commented “Harry Winston is immensely proud to own the finest emerald in the world which once belonged to one of America’s most important dynasties.”

Strong results were achieved for above pre-sale estimates for jewels from an important private collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Tiffany & Co. that had once been part of The Garden Museum Collection in Japan, including a green tourmaline, diamond and gold necklace, a nephrite, amethyst and sapphire necklace, and a multi-gem and vari-colored enamel pendant necklace featuring a large sapphire drop. Stellar results were also realized from a group of Art Deco boxes and accessories from Cartier, along with an exquisite coral, diamond and pearl tiara, by Cartier.

Tom Burstein, Christie’s US Head of Jewelry, said: “The historic Rockefeller Emerald and museum-level collections of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Cartier objects, formed the core of what was a truly a Magnificent Jewels auction. The record prices achieved by the Rockefeller Emerald and Fancy Deep Grayish Bluish Green diamond coupled with competitive bidding for signed jewelry underscores the strength in the market for pieces of the highest quality. Our jewelry team is proud to finish the first half on such a strong note and we look forward to the fall sales season.”