An internally flawless 53-carat diamond is set to headline a Sotheby’s jewels auction next month in New York.
The unmounted, D color diamond—denoting it is colorless and the highest color grade—is from a private collection and is estimated to fetch between $3 million and $5 million. It has been identified as a Type IIa diamond, indicating it is composed of pure carbon with no trace elements.
“It checks all the boxes you want to see when talking about diamonds,” said Quig Bruning, head of Sotheby’s Jewels Americas and EMEA. “It’s just so charming. It’s not just standard precise angles; it’s an older stone.”
The auction on June 7 will feature 98 lots and will be among the first to use Sotheby’s new fee structure, which reduces the buyer’s premium to 20%.
“We expect this will impact how buyers view our auctions, with reduced fees making them more engaged and willing to bid higher,” Bruning said.
Another highlight of the auction is a David Morris Kashmir sapphire and diamond necklace, also estimated at $3 million to $5 million. Bruning noted the rarity of a necklace featuring seven Kashmir sapphires, as they were only mined in that region for a limited time.
“It’s probably one of the most important David Morris pieces to ever come to auction,” Bruning said. “Having seven Kashmirs in one necklace is remarkable, with three graded as royal blue. The rarity is hard to conceptualize.”
Also in the auction is a ring named “The Lavender Dream,” featuring a 3.36-carat pinkish-purple diamond, estimated at $1 million to $1.5 million.
“To have any predominantly purple diamond is very rare, and to find one over three carats is exceptional,” Bruning said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a stone of this size and color grade on the market.”
Other notable pieces include a rare diamond “tie” necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels, estimated at $800,000 to $1.2 million, a Cartier sapphire and diamond engagement ring from 1938, also estimated at $800,000 to $1.2 million, and a Van Cleef & Arpels emerald-and-diamond ring once owned by Ava Gardner, estimated at $420,000 to $520,000. Gardner’s jewelry collection was partly auctioned in 1989 in New York, with the remainder sold after her death at a Sotheby’s auction in London in 1990.
“We love pieces with great provenance, and Ava Gardner was a great collector and style icon,” Bruning said.
Additionally, an unmounted purplish-red diamond weighing 0.73 carats, estimated at $400,000 to $600,000, will be auctioned with no reserve. Despite its rarity as a red diamond, Bruning explained that this strategy is intended to attract more bidders who might have been deterred by a higher starting price.
