Gems

Yellow Alert

August 24, 2011 by Marion Maneker

Christie’s is looking forward to selling a rare very yellow diamond in New York this Fall. Just listen to the press release:

This fall, Christie’s New York is proud to offer The Vivid Yellow, a rare, highly saturated fancy vivid yellow diamond of 32.77 carats, as the star lot of its October 18 sale of Magnificent Jewels. The golden yellow hue of this large pear-shaped stone is so intense and so deep that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) ranks it amongst the rarest of gemstones in its class. The stone is expected to achieve in excess of US$6 million.

“The Vivid Yellow literally blazes with color, unlike any yellow diamond I’ve ever seen,” said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s Head of Jewelry for Christie’s Americas. “In the world of diamonds, a naturally colored stone of this incredible color and size represents a freak occurrence — an extremely rare geological phenomenon. The appearance of this extraordinary gemstone on the market truly represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for top jewelry collectors.”

Sotheby's Hong Kong Diamonds Display

March 10, 2011 by Marion Maneker

Sotheby’s revealed its April 6 Hong Kong sale of gems and jewelry that is estimated at the $60m level. The star lot is a pair of diamond pendant earrings estimated at US$4.8m:

[Terry Chu, Deputy Head, Sotheby’s Jewelry Department]:

“This sale we also have quite a few high quality diamonds. And among all that there is a pair of Harry Winston Diamond Earrings. And for that Harry Winston Diamond Earrings, on the pendent, each suspending a pear-shaped diamond, they are both perfect D color internal flawless diamonds. And each weighing 14 carats.”

Also in the collection is a 27.67 carat Burmese ruby which is expected to fetch up to 2.5 million U.S. dollars. Sotheby’s said that the ruby “pigeon’s blood” diamond comes from Burma’s Mogok mines, a region it says is famous for the gem.

Jewels Set to Reach Dazzling Prices at Sotheby’s Auction in Hong Kong (NTD)

Are large diamonds an investment vehicle? There’s a growing chorus of participants who say yes. The Wall Street Journal looks as some of the players in the market and provides us with some numbers on the nearly 40-1 ration of diamond industry versus diamond investment trades:

The advent of online venues for trading polished white diamonds has improved price transparency needed to enhance liquidity and make possible the launch of diamond investment funds, says Saul Singer, principal of London-based Fusion Alternatives, a money manager specializing in diamond investing. (Polished white diamonds are the most commonly traded for investment purposes and serve as a sort of diamond benchmark.)

Fusion plans to start an investment fund, either as a listed vehicle on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market for small companies or as a private equity-type fund. In March, Cayman Islands-based KPR Capital Ltd. created an open-ended diamond fund for investors willing to put up a minimum $250,000 in capital.Continue Reading