Magnificent diamonds from Harry Winston and coloured gemstones achieved top prices when they went under the hammer at Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale in London, UK, yesterday.

Bidders in the New Bond Street saleroom, online, and on the telephones, competed for 129 lots during the auction which achieved £4.98 million ($7.16 million) with 88 per cent lots sold by value.

DIAMONDS SPARKLE BRIGHTLY

Headlining Bonhams London’s first fine jewellery sale of the year was a magnificent 15.52-carat step-cut diamond single-stone ring by Harry Winston. The diamond - D colour and VVS2 clarity, potentially flawless - attracted interest from across the globe and went to a telephone bidder for £1.09 million ($1.57 million) against its pre-sale estimate of £700,000-£900,000.

An exceptional pair of marquise-cut and pear-shaped diamond earrings, also by the famed American jeweller, proved popular with bidders.  The earrings, totalling 25.37 carats, were the subject of fierce bidding, eventually selling for £266,500 against their pre-sale estimate of £150,000-£200,000.

Elsewhere in the sale, an antique cushion-shaped diamond bangle featuring 13 graduated diamonds, including a central 9.50 carats Fancy Yellow diamond, sold for £206,500.

SAPPHIRES SOARING

A striking Kashmir cabochon sapphire, weighing 7.13-carats, was one of the sale’s star performers, selling to a telephone buyer for £506,500 ($728,000) against its pre-sale estimate of £50,000-£70,000. The unheated sapphire, set in a ring surrounded by old brilliant-cut diamonds, boasts the coveted ‘Royal Blue’ colour, a term reserved only for the very best examples of these rare gemstones. 

Another Bonhams’ client was tickled pink after successfully bidding for a rare oval-cut pink sapphire from Burma, weighing 17.15 carats. This was much admired during Bonhams’ jewellery previews in Geneva, New York, Hong Kong and London ahead of the sale. The sapphire, set in a ring by Cartier, sold for £140,500 ($202,000) against its pre-sale estimate of £30,000-£40,000. 

SIGNED JEWELLERY

A private collection of bird brooches by Cartier also proved popular with bidders.  Collected during the 1960s, each of the five birds featured a different gemstone. The collection reached a total of £123,750 ($178,000), demonstrating the enduring appeal of signed jewellery.

Jean Ghika, Head of Bonhams Jewellery for UK and Europe, says: “The sale performed exceptionally well, generating interest from buyers in the UK, Europe, the US and Asia. We were delighted to see our headline lots achieve strong prices, demonstrating that top quality diamonds, coloured gemstones and signed jewels remain highly desirable.” 

Bonhams sells more jewellery lots each year than any other international house and has more dedicated jewellery auctions annually. Bonhams Hong Kong Rare Jewels & Jadeite sale takes place on June 1 and Bonhams New York Fine Jewellery sale takes place on June 20. 

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia.