Diamond World (DW) May - June 2020

Special Feature
Who are these Collectors?
Rich housewives and women with
thriving careers between the age of 35
and 60 participate in these auctions.
These are women who know their
jewellery and have an eye for rare,
exquisite pieces by pedigree brands.
By virtue of collecting for several years,
the need to see the piece in the flesh
is less. The trust that they have with
the auction houses and the jewellery
brands is high.
The Matter of Pricing
Auction houses have used the winning
strategy of implementing conservative
pricing as it attracts more bidders.
The current bid for a pair of Geranium
earrings by JAR with an estimate of
$1,500-2000 is $5500. A gorgeous
Cartier coral and diamond brooch with
an estimate of 50,000-80,000 CHF
was sold for 68,750 CHF. Ultimately,
estimates under $20,000 seems to be a
sweet spot for collectors – the decision
of buying can be independent without
consulting members of the family as it
is not a high octane purchase. Fewer
lots and frequent options seem to be a
winning combination.
IMPORTANT FANCY INTENSE
PINK DIAMOND RING SOLD FOR
$3 MILLION
Verdura Emerald and Sapphire Ring
Of Provenance & Pedigree
Pieces from brands with repute and
history do well in these auctions.
Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Van, Cleef &
Arpels, Bulgari are usual suspects,
while brands like David Webb, JAR,
Verdura and Hemmerle also do
extremely well. Pieces whose origins
are unknown don’t do as well unless
they come with a piece of indelible
story, mostly period pieces. Collectors
feel safer and secure when they buy
pieces from known brands at an online
auction.
Innovation Abound
Auction houses are doing everything in
their capacity to make their auctions
more exciting. From private viewings
through video calls to home delivery
to guiding bidders over the phone, an
array of services is made available to
eager bidders. Auction houses like
Doyle are even walking the bidders
through the whole process, by showing
them pieces on Facetime or Zoom –
maintaining a personal connection
with potential collectors has become
important now than before.
Diamonds Galore
In an auction by Christie’s a plethora
of diamond jewellery were on sale
including a spectacular diamond ring
of 28.86 carats that sold for $2,115,000
and many diamond pieces from Graff.
A few fancy colour diamond pieces at
Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewellery auction
missed the mark, but an intense pink
diamond ring was sold for $3 million.
Colours of Hope
The demand for Kashmiri sapphires and
Burmese Pigeon blood rubies was high
even before the lockdown. Once the
pandemic came into play, people wanted
to seize the opportunity to get their hands
on such rare investments. An important
Kashmiri sapphire and diamond ring was
sold at a recently held auction for 524,000
CHF well over its estimate of 300,000 -
490,000 CHF.
IMPORTANT SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND
RING SOLD FOR CHF 5,24,000
CARTIER CORAL AND DIAMOND
BROOCH, CIRCA 1960
96 | may-june 2020 | DiamonD WorlD