Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale on 11th May 2022 achieved a total of $69.66 million, led by The Rock, which sold for $21.89 million. Weighing 228.31 carats, The Rock is the largest white diamond ever to be sold at auction.
Another highlight lot of the auction, the 205.07-carat, fancy intense yellow, natural colour, VS2 clarity Red Cross Diamond realised $14.32 million, with a significant portion of the proceeds benefiting the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The auction was 98% sold by value and 92% sold by lot, and witnessed global participation with registrants from 20 countries across 4 continents. The next generation of collectors were active in the sale, with millennial collectors comprising 50% of new registrants to the sale.
Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Christie’s Jewellery, said,”During a momentous week for Christie’s, when Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn set the record price for a 20thcentury work of art, The Rock, the largest white diamond ever sold at auction achieved almost $22 million. Weighing 228.31 carats, The Rock is the largest white diamond ever to appear for sale at auction.”
Additional notable results of the sale included the Fürstenberg Tiara (estimate: CHF400,000-600,000), which achieved CHF2,394,000 / $2,417,528 / €2,288,123. This pearl and diamond tiara bears the mark of the famous Austrian jeweller Gustav Flach, and previously belonged to H.S.H. The Princess of Fürstenberg, née Countess Irma of Schönborn Buchheim (1867-1948), a member of one of the pre-eminent aristocratic families in the Habsburg Empire.
“The final lot of the auction presented another extraordinary gemstone of over 200 carats, the sensational Red Cross Diamond. It was a privilege to present this legєɴԀary stone, which was first sold at Christie’s in 1918 as part of the Red Cross Appeal. Over a century since that first sale, the diamond sold after 11 minutes of competitive bidding for CHF14.1 million, a world auction record for a fancy intense yellow diamond. We are delighted that a significant share of the proceeds will benefit the humanitarian efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross,” Kadakia added.
