Christie’s Results – Bleu Royal becomes the most expensive jewel sold at auction in 2023
GENEVA LUXURY WEEK TOTALS CHF125 million | US$140 million
THE BLEU ROYAL
Most expensive jewel sold at auction in 2023
CHF39,505,000 | US$44,009,645
Magnificent Jewels auction achieves CHF69.7 million | US$77.7 million
The combined total for watches live auctions
CHF55 million | US$62 million
Bleu Royal a 17.61 cts internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond
Sold for CHF39,505,000 | US$44,009,645
Geneva – Christie’s autumn Luxury Week totalled CHF125,367,440 | US$139,901,892 | €130,355,457 and was highlighted by the Bleu Royal which sold for CHF39,505,00 | US$44,009,645 becoming the most expensive jewel sold at auction in 2023. The bidding took 7 minutes, after which the diamond entered another private collection, for the first time after 40 years.
The Magnificent Jewels auction achieved a total of CHF69,888,310 | US$77,703,074 | €72,527,074 and welcomed bidders from 37 countries, selling 93% by lot and 98% by value.
Further highlights of the sale included:
Lot 78 – a rectangular modified brilliant-cut, fancy intense pink diamond of 8.77 carats selling for CHF4,643,000 | US$5,172,429
Lot 52 – a Burmese cushion-shaped ruby of 21.88 carats selling for CHF2,344,00 | US$2,611,280
Lot 71 – a heart brilliant-cut, F colour diamond of 55.75 carat selling for CHF2,313,750 | US$2,577,580
Lot 31 – a heart brilliant-cut, D-colour diamond of 30.02 carats selling for CHF1,557,500
Christie’s Watch Department held two live auctions on 6 November, Passion for Time, a highly important private collection of timepieces as well as the traditional Rare Watches sale which made a combined total of CHF55,476,610 | US$62,041,596 | €57,681,644 with 94% of lots sold across both sales. Eight watches sold over CHF1 million and two watches over CHF5 million. Clients came from across the world with registrants from 51 countries, and 21% of all bidders were new to Christie’s.
Passion for Time achieved CHF37,930,320 | US$42,418,914 | €39,437,940. The 113 lots of the collection of Mohammed Zaman were all sold.
Rare Watches achieved CHF 17,548,810 | US$19,625,499 |€18,246,324 with 90% of lots sold.
Highlights of the sales included:
Lot 2096 – The Grande & Petite Sonnerie No.1 by Philippe Dufour which took two-and-half years to create CHF5,127,000 | US$5,733,718 | €5,330,783
Lot 2052 – The Rolex ref. 1675 GMT Master worn by Marlon Brando in the film Apocalypse Now and customised by Brando by hand-engraving his name on the back of the case, sold for CHF4,582,500 | US$5,124,783 | €4,764,641
Lot 2010 – The George Daniels Anniversary “No. 00”in platinum sold for CHF1,800,000 |US$2,080,108 | €1,933,930. The watch commemorates the 35th anniversary of Daniels’s invention of the co- axial escapement
Lot 101 – The only publicly known diamond Jumbo Nautilus in platinum with a Gay Frères bracelet, reference 3700 with its own individual sub-reference, sold for CHF1,618,000 | US$1,809,471 | €1,682,311
Upcoming Geneva Luxury Online Sales:
- Jewels Online : The Geneva Edit will be open for bidding until 16 November
- Passion of Time Collection, online sale, will be open for bidding until 21 November
- Rare Watches: The Geneva Edit online will take place in December, opening on the 1st and close on 12th of December.
(This story has not been edited by News Mania staff and is published from a Media Release)
