2015 in Jewelry

2015 in Jewelry

Values aside, precious and semi-precious stones fascinate me, principally due to the way they were naturally formed, physically and chemically, and their observable luminance. In some cases, the raw or uncut state of these stones are more attractive. The Telegraph chose to highlight a few of the more famous stones that changed hands this year, and this gives us an opportunity to oogle at them here, in pictures only, as their value and size puts them well beyond most people’s eyes and obvious reach!

In May, the 25.59-carat Burmese Sunrise Ruby set two new world records when it sold for £19.6 million ($28.96 million) at Sotheby’s Geneva: becoming the most expensive ruby ever sold and the most expensive Cartier gem ever.

There was much hype surrounding September’s Fine Jewellery Sale at Bonhams, thanks to the appearance of the Hope Spinel, a 50.14-carat octagonal stone with a fascinating provenance, which hadn’t been seen on the market for 98 years. It duly went on to achieve a new world record for the price of a spinel at auction, selling for £962,500 ($1.42 million).

Most notably, November saw the 12.03-carat Blue Moon diamond sell for £32 million ($47.28 million) to Hong Kong property tycoon Joseph Lau, who bought it for his seven-year-old daughter Josephine. Lau promptly renamed the stone, which now holds three world records (most valuable gemstone, highest price for a diamond of any colour, highest ever price per carat), the Blue Moon of Josephine.

A new record for the price-per-carat of any ruby was broken in November by the 15.04-carat Crimson Flame which sold for £798,000 ($1.18 million) per carat at Christie’s Hong Kong.

Cartier rehomed an old friend in the form of the 197.70-carat Sri Lankan sapphire which was once owned by the Empress Maria Feodorovna, appearing in its exceptional Romanov Cuff which more than lived up to the high jewellery collection’s name, Etourdissant, meaning “dazzling”.

Credit: The Telegraph