Geneva, 26 April 2017 – Sotheby’s is delighted to announce the leading highlights from the upcoming sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, to be held in Geneva on 16 may 2017. At centre stage will be the exquisite ‘Apollo & Artemis Diamonds’, two exceptional diamonds in their own right, which together form the most valuable earrings ever to be offered at auction. 

Offered separately as individual lots, ‘The Apollo Blue’ will be presented with an estimate of CHF 38,125,000–50,160,000 ($38 – 50 million) and ‘The Artemis Pink’ is estimated between CHF 12,545,000–18,060,000 ($12.5 –18 million). Along with these leading lights, the auction will also include a very fine selection of coloured diamonds and gemstones, as well as jewels bearing the signature of some of the world’s most important and sought-after jewellery houses: Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Bulgari. For the first time, the Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale will be held in the Mandarin Oriental, Geneva. 

David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, described the auction: “It has been an honour to present the ‘Apollo and Artemis Diamonds’ during our pre-sale exhibitions in Hong Kong, London, Dubai and New York: individually, each of the diamonds is absolutely remarkable and together, they are just breath-taking. We have also had a wonderful response to other prominent lots in the sale, including a wide and exciting selection of stunning signed jewels and high quality gemstones. We are greatly looking forward to our inaugural sales in partnership with the Mandarin Oriental, Geneva.” 

THE ‘APOLLO & ARTEMIS DIAMONDS’
THE APOLLO BLUE ‘THE ARTEMIS PINK’ Fancy Intense Pink Diamond weighing 16.00 carats VVS2 clarity, Type IIa Estimate: $ 12.5 – 18 million (CHF 12.5 – 18 million) Graded Fancy Vivid Blue by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and weighing an impressive 14.54 carats, the ‘Apollo Blue’ is the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever to be offered at auction. It has been cut and polished into a beautiful unmodified pear-shape which flatters its exquisite and truly outstanding colour. The GIA has also determined that the ‘Apollo Blue’ is a Type IIb diamond – a group which contains less than one half of one per cent of all diamonds. In recent times, the only mine to produce blue diamonds with any regularity is the Cullinan mine in South Africa. When in full production, less than 0.1% of diamonds sourced showed any evidence of blue colour, according to the GIA. An infinitesimally small percentage of those is graded Fancy Vivid Blue. The ‘Apollo Blue’ will be offered as a single lot on 16 May with an estimate of CHF 38,125,000 – 50,160,000 / US$ 38 – 50 million. 

THE ARTEMIS PINK
The ‘Artemis Pink’ displays an elegant and delicate Fancy Intense Pink hue. Weighing 16 carats, the stone has been carefully cut into a captivating pear shape, matching the Apollo Blue. The GIA has declared the ‘Artemis Pink’ to be a ‘Type IIa’ diamond, ‘the most chemically pure type’ of diamonds, which ‘often have exceptional optical transparency’. Of all diamonds submitted to GIA specialists each year, ‘no more than 3% are classified as coloured diamonds; less than 5% of those coloured diamonds are predominantly pink’. The occurrence of pink diamonds remains exceedingly rare: according to the GIA, a Fancy Intense Pink stone of such rich colour and impressive size can only be described as phenomenally rare. The ‘Artemis Pink’ will be offered as a single lot on 16 May with an estimate of CHF 12,545,000 – 18,060,000 / US$ 12,500,000 – 18,000 000. 

FINEST COLOURED DIAMONDS
The ‘Apollo & Artemis Diamonds’ will lead a group of finest quality coloured diamonds, which also includes a rich and impressive Fancy Intense Purplish Pink diamond by Piaget weighing 7.04 carats. Of modified rectangular shape, the diamond has been certified of Type IIa by the GIA, placing it in the same rarefied category as the ‘Artemis Pink’ (Lot 371, below left, Estimate CHF 8,030,000 – 12,040,000 / US$ 8 - 12 million). Meanwhile, showcasing a beautiful Fancy Pink hue and weighing 21.11 carats, this diamond offers an elegant and feminine cushion shape (Lot 364, below right, Estimate CHF 3,010,000 – 5,015,000 / US$ 3 – 5 million). 

The exquisite Fancy Vivid Blue diamond pictured above weighs 3.32 carats and displays stunning depth of colour. Its step-cut shape perfectly flatters its Internally Flawless clarity (Lot 363A, Estimate CHF 6,055,000 – 8,070,000 / US$ 6 -8 million). 

GEMS AND JEWELS FROM A SUPERB PRIVATE COLLECTION
Offering a glimpse into a beautiful and refined private collection of exceptional jewels, a group of pieces to be offered in May brings together finest diamonds and gemstones, as well as signed jewels from the most desirable and sought-after Jewellery houses.