Exhibiting a superior polish and octagonal cutting style, a diamond this rare marks an unprecedented opportunity for collectors of the world’s finest gemstones. In addition, this blockbuster 500-‐lot day-‐long auction at Christie’s Rockefeller Center is comprised of important colored and colorless diamonds, rare gemstones, signed jewels, and natural pearls, expected to achieve in excess of $45 million.
Four Magnificent Jewels from an Exceptional Private Collector, all from LEVIEV, one of the world’s most exclusive diamond jewelry brands, offers a star lot in a cushion-‐cut D-‐ color internally flawless diamond ring of 26.72 carats (pictured below, left). The stone is mounted in platinum, flanked on either side by a shield-‐shaped diamond. This magnificent ring is estimated at $4,000,000 – 6,000,000. A diamond pendant necklace suspending a pear-‐haped D-‐color VVS1 diamond of 22.12 carats to the pear-‐shaped and oval-‐cut necklace of 38.76 carats, pictured left, is estimated at $2,500,000 – 3,500,000, along with a diamond bracelet set with eighty-‐eight rectangular diamonds weighing a total of 90.81 carats (pictured below, right; estimate: $500,000 – 700,000). A pair of pear-‐shaped D-‐color diamond ear pendants of 10.31 and 9.94 carats (pictured below, center; estimate: $2,000,000 – 3,000,000) round off the collection which was acquired and completed with great taste over the course of two years.
Marion Rumsey Cartier was born in New York on April 14, 1911. Her father, Pierre Cartier, was one of the three legendary Cartier brothers. Her mother, Elma Rumsey, was the daughter of Moses Rumsey, a prominent industrialist from Saint Louis. Madame Cartier’s Saint Louis heritage was of such importance to her that it ultimately formed her connection with Saint Louis University. Her legacy to the University included photographs, letters, and paintings. In 1932, upon meeting Father J. Barry McGannon S.J., then vice president and later Chancellor of Saint Louis University, Madame Cartier found a sanctuary at the University where her memories and extraordinary life could be preserved. Her remarkable collection of manuscripts is maintained at the University and the proceeds of the sale will in part act as an endowment for their preservation as well as other valuable projects. Marion Cartier died peacefully on March 20, 1994 in Geneva at the age of 83. Highlights include:
TUTTI FRUTTI
Natural Pearls in an exceptional four-‐strand natural pearl and diamond necklace formed of 148 individual pearls (pictured left; estimate: $500,000 – 700,000) ranging in size from 9.10 to 5.30 mm in diameter.
A pair of Colombian emerald ear pendants of 18.98 and 16.75 carats Estimate: $650,000
– 850,000
A Belle Époque Kashmir sapphire ring of 21.27 carats, circa 1910 Estimate: $1,500,000 – 2,500,000
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