Magnificent Jewels: Part I on 29!

Sotheby’s auction to led The Carmine Rose, an 8.08 carat pigeon blood red Ruby 

Sotheby’s Hong Kong is scheduled on 29 April 2022 to present Magnificent Jewels: Part I, in a live auction format featuring a colourful curation of gemstones and coloured diamonds, led The Carmine Rose, an 8.08 carat pigeon blood red Ruby and Diamond Ring and a 9.66 carat Sapphire and Diamond Ring Designed by Nicholas Lieou, the rainbow is complete with coloured diamonds ranging from Fancy Red to Fancy Vivid Pink, Blue, Bluish Green and Yellow. 

Alongside the rainbow of jewels, a fine selection of antique signed jewellery such as a Diamond Necklace, 1910 and a Diamond Tiara/ Necklace, 1930 both by Cartier seamlessly complement modern, iconic signed jewels by household names such as Van Cleef & Arpels, showcasing the iconic Mystery Set patented technique. Finally, an extraordinary ‘Imperial Green’ jadeite bead necklace presents itself in translucent, saturated fashion, completing the Spring Magnificent Jewels: Part I auction in Hong Kong.

This spring we are delighted to introduce the Season of Blue, celebrating one of the most beloved hues throughout history. Wassily Kandinsky, as one of the founding members of the group of artists known as the Blue Rider, once wrote: ‘the deeper the blue the more it beckons man into the infinite, arousing a longing for purity and the super sensuous’.  

Voted as the favourite colour of both men and women worldwide, the unequalled popularity of blue has endured for millennia. From Tutankhamun’s lapis lazuli-encrusted mask, to the unmistakable works of Yves Klein, blue has been a constant source of inspiration. 

In nature, blue is inextricably associated with the rare and the magnificent, such as the birds of paradise, tropical butterflies, and peacocks. In the world of gemstones this captivating hue carries on its legacy through a myriad of varieties, including sapphires, Paraíba tourmalines, aquamarines, apatites, turquoise, lapis lazuli and many more. One of the newest discoveries on minerals in the 21st century was also a blue variation of a chalcedony, which is now named aquaprase.

The most important gemstone that celebrates the blue hue this season is the De Beers Cullinan Blue. A truly phenomenal fancy vivid blue step-cut diamond weighing 15.10 carats, it is the biggest of its kind that has ever been offered in auction, with an internally flawless clarity. It is also the largest of step cuts with the color and clarity grading that GIA has seen to date. The colors of the purest blue are endlessly reflected through the long facets, which is a wonderful sight to behold. 

From gemstones to jewels, there are a variety of shades of blue to be admired in our curation. A number of exceptional sapphires from Kashmir and Burma encapsulates the finest hues of royal to cornflower blue seen from the best of corundum. Two jewels from the house of Van Cleef & Arpels showcase the beauty of sapphires through serti mystérieux, each designed as a sycamore leaf and a fairy by the river. 

A beautiful pair of Paraíba tourmaline earrings show the signature neon blue that traces of copper brings to these tourmalines. The highlight of this curation is a three-carat fancy vivid blue diamond ring adorned by chalcedony and diamonds, with an internally flawless clarity and a fine clear hue.