Christie's
This 8.08 carat blue diamond ring by Bulgari sold for $18.31 million.
Christie's
This 8.08 carat blue diamond ring by Bulgari sold for $18.31 million.
- Christie's Auction House sold $69.2 million worth of precious jewels in a single night in New York City.
- A whopping $18.3 million of that - about 26% - came from a blue diamond ring by Bulgari.
- The December 5 auction also included jewels by Suzanne Belperron, René Boivin, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
- The night followed last month's record-breaking sale of a 19-carat pink diamond for $50 million to jeweler Harry Winston in Geneva.
Christie's Auction House sold a stunning $69,225,750 worth of precious jewelry in a single night in New York City.
A huge chunk of that - about 26% - came from the sale of one rectangular blue diamond ring by Bulgari, which went for $18.3 million. The December 5 auction also included pieces by Suzanne Belperron, René Boivin, Cartier, Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
As astronomical as this sale may seem, it pales in comparison to Christie's biggest ever single-night jewel sale: $115.9 million for a collection of Elizabeth Taylor's jewels in December 2011. It did, however, surpass the past two years. At last year's December auction, Christie's sold $62.5 million of jewelry, and $51.2 million in 2016.
Read more: Christie's sold a 19-carat pink diamond for a record-breaking $50 million
Daphne Lingon, Head of Jewelry, Christie's Americas, said the auction house has seen some particularly exceptional sales this year.
"Over this auction season, we have witnessed the blockbuster sales of The Winston Pink Legacy in Geneva, which set a new price per carat for a pink diamond, and The Peacock Necklace in Hong Kong, which established the record for a Kashmir sapphire necklace," Lingon said. "The excitement and prices achieved in our New York sale tonight, including the exceptional price achieved for the sensational Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond Ring by Bulgari and the world auction record realized for Suzanne Belperron, mark a perfect ending to our successful year of global jewelry auctions."
Here's a look at 10 of the most expensive jewels Christie's sold on December 5, ranked from least to most expensive.