Sotheby’s Jewels Sales Brings in Over $1.75 Million

A ruby and diamond necklace was the highest auctioned item at the Sotheby’s jewelry sale in London Thursday. The necklace, designed as a graduated series of clusters each centering on an oval- or cushion-shaped ruby within borders of brilliant-cut diamonds, more than quadrupled its estimate value of when it sold at the hammer price of GBP 43,250 ($65,939).

The sale, which featured 196 lots with jewelry in a wide range of styles and by distinguished designers such as Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Cartier, brought in a total of GBP 1,144,625 ($1.75 million) in sales.

The second highest-selling item, a fancy intense pink diamond and diamond necklace, more than doubled its lowest sales estimate when it was sold at the hammer price of 30,000 GBP ($45,843). The necklace is of negligée design with a fancy intense pink pear-shaped diamond weighing 0.91 carats and another similarly shaped near-colorless stone weighing 0.98 carats.

A ruby and diamond necklace was auctioned for $65,939, the highest-selling item at the Sotheby's sale