Hong Kong - On 29 May, Christie’s Hong Kong will hold its Magnificent Jewels auction, featuring over 290 lots of exquisite and rare jewels. The focal point of the season is A Magnificent 8.01 Carats Fancy Vivid Blue Internally Flawless Diamond Pendant Necklace by Moussaieff (Estimate: HK$145,000,000-195,000,000/ US$18,500,000-25,000,000).

Also leading the season is an array of spectacular diamonds, exceptional gemstones and jadeites, including: A Jadeite Bead and Diamond Necklace (Estimate:HK$30,000,000-50,000,000/ US$3,800,000-6,400,000), a Lavender Jadeite Bead Necklace (Estimate: HK$25,000,000-35,000,000/US$3,200,000-4,500,000), An Exceptional Pair of Brazilian Paraiba Tourmaline Ear Pendants (Estimate:HK$12,800,000-18,000,000/ US$1,600,000-2,300,000) and An Exclusive Coloured Diamond bracelet, by Edmond Chin for the House of Boghossian (Estimate: HK$16,000,000 -25,000,000/US$2,000,000-3,200,000).

Vickie Sek, Chairman, Jewellery Asia, commented “As the striking centerpiece of Christie’s Spring sales, the extraordinary fancy vivid blue internally flawless diamond continues our tradition of offering only the most coveted coloured diamonds in the world. It is also our privilege to be offering a cross-section of the finest diamonds, jewels and signed pieces to our esteemed collectors, responding to the continued global appetite for pieces of dazzling splendor and unmatched rarity.”  

MASTER CREATIONS BY EDMOND CHIN

This season will once again feature a truly unique creation by master craftsman Edmond Chin: An exclusive Coloured Diamond Bracelet, by Edmond Chin for the House of Boghossian (Estimate:HK$16,000,000-25,000,000 /US$2,000,000 – 3,200,000). This astounding piece takes inspiration from ancient manuscripts of age-old western and eastern cultures, while referencing Islamic texts and the transformative ideas of the European renaissance.

The result is a visionary creation that is not just intricate and spectacular to the eye, but also rich in cultural and historical reference.

Edmond Chin’s virtuosity in craftmanship is on full display in this work of art as he draws on his expert technical knowledge and skills to translate the complex design into a fluid and flexible bracelet. Due to its complexity, each component required a bespoke solution, often necessitating a multi-stage process of assembling and un-assembling to achieve the desired aesthetic outcome.

Faced with a box of superb coloured diamonds of the best hues but differing shapes and tonalities, Edmond Chin has used a 15th century illumination from the celebrated Waldburg Prayerbook as the basis for his design. Attracted to the exquisite pattern of differently shaped flower heads between coiling leaves devised by the late medieval artist, he envisioned a similar pattern of coloured diamonds flower heads between coiling tendrils of coloured diamond melee. The finishing touch was provided by antique hand-cut half pearls dating from the 19th century. A rich floral tapestry of jewels, blooms of diamonds of gorgeously rare colors (blue, green, violet), against an intricate weave of natural pearls.

SUPERB PARAIBA TOURMALINES

Presenting the rarest of gemstones this season is AN EXCEPTIONAL PAIR OF 7.46 AND 6.81 CARATS BRAZILIAN PARAIBA TOURMALINE EAR PENDANTS, (Estimate:HK$12,800,000-18,000,000/US$1,600,000-2,300,000).

First discovered in the 1980s at a deposit in the northern part of Paraiba state, Brazil, the Paraiba tourmaline quickly captured the imagination of gem connoisseurs with its bright vivid blue-green colour, a result of the specific geochemical mix of trace copper and manganese elements.

Although tourmalines are found in various shades from purple to green, the delicate interplay of hues that distinguish the ‘Paraiba tourmaline’, are referred to in the trade as ‘electric blue’ or ‘neon green’. These mesmerizing tones are strikingly on display in not one but two ‘Paraiba tourmalines’ – this lot truly is one of nature’s rarest and most prized gifts.

THE ROCKEFELLER PEARL NECKLACE

A Superb Single-Strand Natural Pearl and Diamond Necklace (Estimate:HK$4,000,000-6,000,000 /US$500,000 - 750,000) of sixty-three perfectly matched pearls, previously in the collection of John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874 – 1960) (one of the greatest philanthropic dynasties of all time) will be offered at auction this season.

Each of the graduated pearls are impeccably uniform, displaying intense pink and greenish overtones. The pearls were painstakingly assembled over a period of ten years by the exceptional and fastidious eye of renowned New York jeweller Raymond C. Yard, before being sold to his most famous patron John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1929.

In addition to the intrinsic beauty of natural pearls, their appeal has increased drastically due to diminishing yields, fuelling prices exponentially, making this piece, with its illustrious provenance, all the more coveted.