Christie's April auction to be 'diamondful'

Christie`s will start its spring auction season with the sale of a large range of diamonds and jewelry at its Magnificent Jewels sale in New York on April 16.

Close to 300 jewels, including top-quality colored and colorless diamonds, gemstones, natural pearls and signed vintage creations, will be offered for sale at the one-day auction.
Among the highlights is likely to be The Princie Diamond, a 34.65-carat fancy intense pink cushion-cut diamond whose origin can be traced to the famous diamond mines of Golconda in South Central India. It was first recorded as belonging to the royal family of Hyderabad, who ruled one of the wealthiest provinces of the Mughal Empire. Joining the ranks of other historic diamonds sold by Christie`s such as The Agra Diamond and The Wittelsbach Diamond, The Princie Diamond enjoys an extended feature in the auction`s catalogue.

First offered at auction in 1960 by the London branch of jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, the diamond was given its unusual name at a party at the company's Paris store where it was called the Princie in honor of the 14-year-old Prince of Baroda, who attended the party.
The New York auction marks the first time in more than 50 years that the diamond has been put on the block.

Francois Curiel, Chairman of Christie`s Jewelry Department, comments, "One of the largest and finest pink diamonds in the world, the Princie Diamond carries a fabulous provenance, which brings together the legendary names of Golconda, Nizam of Hyderabad, and the Maharani Sita Devi of Baroda. This rich history, combined with its rare pink hue, conveys a special charm, which will speak to all collectors in the world seeking the best of the best in gemstones."
The auction will also feature part of the Extraordinary Diamonds from an American Private Collection. The seven diamonds in the collections have had the same owners for a number of decades.

Four of the diamonds from the collection will be put up for auction on April 16 at Christie's Rockefeller Center saleroom, with two more diamonds being offered in Geneva on May 15, and the final lot in Hong Kong on May 28.

Another private collection is the so-called Property of an Elegant Lady featuring a diamond cluster necklace by William Goldberg set with more than 160 carats of top-quality diamonds.
Meanwhile, the Distinguished American Collection features a 1950s emerald and diamond necklace by Harry Winston, and a ring with a D color potentially flawless diamond weighing 23.30 carats, also by Harry Winston.

Rahul Kadakia, Head of Jewelry, Christie's Americas and Switzerland, says, "For our first auction of the spring jewelry season, we have compiled a superb selection of colorless diamonds, beautiful vintage jewels from the best houses, and rare natural pearls which are experiencing a remarkable surge at auction. Collectors continue to enjoy being part of a vibrant auction market both as sellers and buyers of rare jewels."


/AzerTAc/