37ct Aga Khan Emerald could Sell for $8m
October 28, 24
(IDEX Online) - The Aga Khan Emerald, 37-ct centerpiece of a platinum and gold Cartier brooch, is expected to fetch $6m to $8m next month at Christie's Geneva.
The brooch was one of the lots at the inaugural Magnificent Jewels sale at Christie's in May 1969, when it fetched CHF 580,000 ($135,000 at the time).
It was described the in the catalogue as a "magnificent emerald and diamond clip brooch, composed of a superb square-cut emerald in a border of twenty navette-cut diamonds forming a fancy lozenge-shaped cluster, by Cartier, Paris — approximate weight of emerald 37.41 carats, and approximate total weight of diamonds 12.04 carats".
The brooch was later acquired by Harry Winston, who turned it into a pendant.
It was originally commissioned by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan in 1960 as a gift to his wife Nina Dyer, prominent Anglo-Indian socialite and fashion model. He'd renounced his succession rights to marry Dyer, who was a divorcee.
He showered her with lavish gifts during their brief marriage (they separated after three years and divorced after five), including a Caribbean island.
The gem was unearthed in Muzo, a Colombian emerald mine about 60 miles north of what is now Bogota.
The combination of the huge size, even green color and high degree of transparency made it exceptionally rare, said Max Fawcett, head of jewelry at Christie's Geneva.
"The fact that it's set in an original piece by Cartier is the cherry on the top."
It will be offered for sale, together with a selection of lots by Harry Winston, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels and other maisons, on 12 November.
Pic courtesy Christie's.