The Catherine the Great emerald brooch. Right, the Imperial Emerald of Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia

10 history-making emeralds offered at Christie’s

Over its long history Christie’s has offered superb emerald jewels owned by Spain’s great rulers and British royals, the Romanovs and the Bonapartes, Mughal emperors and the Shahs of Persia, to name but a few. These are 10 of the very best

The Rockefeller Emerald. A rare and historic emerald and diamond ring by Raymond Yard. Sold for $5,511,500 on 20 June 2017 at Christie’s in New York

The Rockefeller Emerald. A rare and historic emerald and diamond ring by Raymond Yard. Sold for $5,511,500 on 20 June 2017 at Christie’s in New York

In 1930 John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased a brooch for his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. The brooch, said to be by Van Cleef & Arpels, centred upon a large emerald with mesmerising colour and impeccable clarity. When Abby Aldrich Rockefeller passed away in 1948, Rockefeller turned to Yard to disassemble the brooch, and individual emeralds from the setting were distributed among the Rockefeller children.

The centre emerald, weighing an impressive 18.04 carats, was given to David Rockefeller, who commissioned Raymond Yard to mount it as a ring. The Rockefeller Emerald was offered by Christie’s in the summer of 2017 and was purchased by Harry Winston for $5,511,500, or $305,500 per carat — the highest price per carat ever obtained for an emerald. After the auction, the gemstone was immediately rechristened the Rockefeller-Winston emerald.

An emerald and diamond pendant brooch, by Bulgari. Sold for $6,578,500 on 13 December 2011 at Christie’s in New York

An emerald and diamond pendant brooch, by Bulgari. Sold for $6,578,500 on 13 December 2011 at Christie’s in New York

According to Richard Burton ‘the only word Elizabeth [Taylor] knew in Italian was “Bulgari”’. During the filming of Cleopatra, Burton visited the Bulgari boutique in Rome, where he purchased this emerald and diamond brooch as a wedding gift for his fiancée. Worn by the actress at their marriage in 1964, the brooch was later sold in The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Legendary Jewels Evening Sale at Christie’s in New York in December 2011. It realised $6,130,500, and remains the most expensive single stone emerald jewel ever sold.

The Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence auction in June 2019 offered a once-in-a-lifetime group of jewels and objects from the Al Thani collection. One of the many highlights was the The Taj Mahal Emerald, which in itself is a wonder of nature. This emerald of 141.13 carats came from Colombia and has never been subjected to any treatment. The last lot in a marathon 12-hour auction, it was fought over by private collectors and institutions before selling for just under $2 million.

An Art Deco emerald and diamond necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels. Sold for CHF 3,861,000 on 12 November 2013 at Christie’s in Geneva

An Art Deco emerald and diamond necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels. Sold for CHF 3,861,000 on 12 November 2013 at Christie’s in Geneva

This emerald and diamond necklace was purchased by Princess Faiza of Egypt — King Farouk’s sister — in 1947 at Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris. As well as its exquisite craftsmanship, the necklace’s imposing diamonds are complemented by elegant emerald drops. Auctioned at Christie’s Geneva in November 2013, it was purchased by Van Cleef & Arpels to become an iconic jewel of the house’s heritage collection.

An exceptional emerald ring. Sold for HK$17,560,000 on 1 December 2015 at Christie’s in Hong Kong

An exceptional emerald ring. Sold for HK$17,560,000 on 1 December 2015 at Christie’s in Hong Kong

It is common knowledge that the most famous emerald mines are located in Colombia, but few are aware of the mines of Afghanistan, which are located in the Panjshir valley, some 130 km north of Kabul. These fields yielded the exceptionally pure 10.11 carat Afghan Emerald, which was offered in Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Hong Kong in December 2015 and achieved $225,000 per carat — an auction world record for any emerald from Afghanistan.

The Catherine the Great emerald brooch. Sold for $1,650,500 on 22 April 2010 at Christie’s in New York

The Catherine the Great emerald brooch. Sold for $1,650,500 on 22 April 2010 at Christie’s in New York

Catherine the Great’s exquisite jewellery collection is renowned among connoisseurs. Particularly fond of emeralds, the Empress collected some of the largest stones then in existence. This extraordinary brooch was designed in the mid-18th century and set with a Colombian emerald weighing approximately 65 carats.

As well as being the technical visionary behind Etcetera, Edmond Chin is also the creative director at Boghossian, one of the world’s only family-owned jewellery houses. In May 2017, Christie’s presented this extraordinary creation in its Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels auction — a necklace featuring 11 Colombian emeralds, ranging from 12.34 to 3.03 carats and showing no evidence of clarity modification. The necklace soared past its pre-sale estimate before selling to an Asian private collector for over $6 million.

Superb emerald, diamond and pearl earrings. Sold for HK$34,925,000 on 28 May 2019 at Christie’s in Hong Kong

Superb emerald, diamond and pearl earrings. Sold for HK$34,925,000 on 28 May 2019 at Christie’s in Hong Kong

The rarest and most expensive emeralds are mined from Muzo, Coscuez and Chivor in the green foothills of the Colombian Andes, which is where the stones in this magnificent pair of earrings, weighing an impressive 23.34 and 23.18 carats and both exhibiting a richly saturated homogenous green colour, come from. Extraordinarily well-matched and spared any treatment, the Grand Muzos were first offered by Christie’s in 2012, realising $4.2 million. In 2019, they were presented for a second time by Christie’s and sold for $4.5 million, demonstrating the continued demand for jewels and gemstones of the highest quality.

A magnificent emerald and diamond necklace by Cartier. Sold for CHF 9,125,000 on 12 November 2013 at Christie’s in Geneva

A magnificent emerald and diamond necklace by Cartier. Sold for CHF 9,125,000 on 12 November 2013 at Christie’s in Geneva

Simón Iturri Patiño (1860-1947) controlled over 60 per cent of the world’s tin output, making him one of the five wealthiest men on the planet. Known as ‘The Andean Rockefeller’, Patiño developed a connoisseur’s eye for the rarest of gemstones, and his collection included this fine emerald and diamond necklace, which contains more than 100 carats of the highest quality Colombian emeralds alongside 60 carats of diamonds, mounted by Cartier in 1937. Offered at Christie’s in Geneva in November 2013, The Patiño Necklace made the second highest price for an emerald jewel in auction history.

The Imperial Emerald of Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia. Sold for CHF 4,335,000 on 15 May 2019 at Christie’s in Geneva

The Imperial Emerald of Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia. Sold for CHF 4,335,000 on 15 May 2019 at Christie’s in Geneva

This legendary gem weighing 75.61 carats was part of the Russian Imperial collection for more than 100 years before Tsar Alexander II of Russia gave it to Grand Duchess Vladimir in 1874, on the occasion of her wedding to his son, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia.

After the Grand Duchess’s death in 1920, it was bequeathed to her son, Grand Duke Boris, and then passed through the hands of famous collectors such as Pierre Cartier, the Payne Whitney Family and Raphael Esmerian. Offered at auction by Christie’s in Geneva in May 2019, it was purchased by a private collector for $4.5 million, nearly double its low estimate.

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