London - Christie’s London concluded its Summer Luxury Sales with a combined sale total for handbags, wine and jewels of £10,546,542 / $13,486,872 and sell-through rates of 88% by lot and 91% by value. Of the 886 lots offered across the three auctions, 345 lots sold or were directly underbid by online clients. Those registered to bid came from 25 countries and participated in person, by telephone and strongly via online in the three auctions. The preview prior to the sales was particularly well attended and in combination with events taking place for the upcoming Modern British Art auction, made London an interesting destination for collectors to browse through different collecting areas.

IMPORTANT JEWELS 13 June 2017

Total: £6,457,625 / $8,233,472

Sold by lot: 80%

Sold by value: 90%

Internet bids: 286

Top lot: A COLOMBIAN EMERALD RING OF 10.23 CARATS, BY HARRY WINSTON, SOLD FOR £377,000 / $480,675

“The Victorian diamond star parure demonstrated yet again that jewels fresh to the market with noble provenance make for a winning combination, illustrating yet again London’s traditional association with the sale of important antique jewels. This comprehensive suite was one of the most fiercely contested pieces in the sale and fetched three times its mid-estimate at £317,000 / $404,175. The top lot, an important 10.23 carat Colombian emerald and diamond ring by Harry Winston, showcased the typical aesthetic of the house; a vari-cut diamond cluster mount set with a large top quality gemstone achieved a price of £377,000 / $480,675. Furthermore, the dedicated Cartier section (lots 140-190, as always, performed very well. The auction, which concluded the London Luxury summer sales saw the highest number of registrants in a Jewellery auction taking place at Christie’s King Street”, commented Keith Penton, Head of Christie’s Jewels department London.

HANDBAGS – THE INAUGURAL LONDON AUCTION 12 JUNE 2017

Total: £2,087,375 / $2,661,403

Sold by lot: 91%

Sold by value: 92%

Internet bids: 198

Top lot: AN EXCEPTIONAL SHINY BLEU MARINE POROSUS CROCODILE DIAMOND BIRKIN 35 WITH 18K WHITE GOLD & DIAMOND HARDWARE, 2007, SOLD FOR £155,000

“The inaugural London handbag auction established the new auction record for any handbag sold in Europe at £ 155,000 for a bleu marine crocodile Birkin with white gold and diamond hardware. This further confirms what we saw in Hong Kong two weeks ago, that our collectors are looking for these high value, truly exceptional pieces. They are an international group - the record setting Hong Kong Birkin was not bought by an Asian client and the London Birkin was not bought by a European client. Away from the top lots of the sale in London, we saw strong local participation with just under 40% of bidders from around the UK. 40% of lots were also sold or directly underbid by clients bidding online. Furthermore, the auction enjoyed a record number of registrants for any handbag auction at Christie’s,” commented Matthew Rubinger, International Director of Christie’s Handbag and Accessories department.

FINE AND RARE WINES 08 June 2017

Total: £2,001,542 / $2,591,997

Sold by lot: 91%

Sold by value: 92%

Internet bids: 329

Top lot: 12 BOTTLES OF DOMAINE DE LA ROMANEE CONTI, ROMANEE-CONTI 1988 GRAND CRU COTE DE NUITS, SOLD FOR £141,000

“The top ten selling lots of our London Fine and Rare Wine sale is once more dominated by Romanée-Conti which demonstrates the continued demand for this rare Burgundy from clients around the world, from Asia, UK and America. The price realised for the second highest lot of the sale - six bottles per lot Hermitage La Chapelle 1961 Rhône, Paul Jaboulet Aîné – is a tribute to this legendary vintage made from the Syrah vineyards of Hermitage in the Northern Rhone. It also demonstrates the importance of condition and provenance as this case was sent back in April 2012 to the Estate in the Northern Rhone and was reconditioned. Demand continued for Burgundy wines from Domaine Leroy, and Domaine Leflaive. There was strong online bidding throughout the sale,” commented Chris Munro, Head of Christie’s Wine department London.

NEXT LUXURY SALES AT CHRISTIE’S

The next series of Luxury Sales at Christie’s will be held in New York with a series of auctions from 20 June, starting with the Magnificent Jewels auction, including the Rockefeller Emerald, followed by Rare Watches on 21 June, this time offering the Cartier Tank watch from another prestigious American Family, the Jackie Kennedy Cartier. The Luxury sales will conclude with a two day sale of Finest & Rarest Wines, including the Vinkällare of Staffan Hansson.