44-Ct. ‘Perfect Diamond’ Up for Auction at Christie’s

'The Perfect Diamond,' a 44.09-Carat rectangular-cut diamond ring; D-color, internally flawless clarity, Type IIa, excellent polish and excellent symmetry; Estimate on request.  Photo Credit: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2012

Christie’s New York will hold its Magnificent Jewels auction on April 17 at its Rockefeller Center headquarters. The sale features more than 300 individual jewels, including top-quality diamonds, gemstones, natural pearls and signed pieces, with estimates ranging from $2,000 to $8 million. The total sale is expected to surpass $40 million.

16.33-Ct., pear-shaped diamond ring by Van Cleef & Arpels; D-color, potentially internally flawless clarity, Type IIa; Estimate, $1.85 million - $2.5 million. Photo Credit: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2012

The sale features no less than 10 top-quality D-color diamonds. The assortment is led by what is known as “The Perfect Diamond,” (top photo) a 44.09 carat D-color internally flawless, emerald cut diamond (estimate upon request). Christie’s says the diamond exhibits excellent polish and symmetry with no fluorescence. It is certified as a type IIa diamond, the most chemically pure classification prized for its exceptional optical clarity.

15.08-Ct. oval-cut diamond ring; F-color, internally flawless clarity, Type IIa; Estimate, $1.25 million - $1.55 million. Photo credit: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2012

Also among the top lots of the evening, as previously reported, are “The Clark Pink,” an extremely rare 9-carat pink diamond ring, and The Clark Diamond, a 20-carat D-color diamond ring. Both items are part of the sale from the estate of Huguette M. Clark, one of the last heiresses of America’s Gilded Age. Ms. Clark’s personal jewelry collection, which is believed to have been stored in a bank vault since the 1940s, includes signed Art Deco jewels by Cartier, Dreicer & Co. and Tiffany & Co. The complete collection of 17 jewels is expected to fetch up to $12 million.

A Colored Diamond Necklace, by Graff; Estimate $1.5 million - $2.5 million. Photo credit: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2012

The sale also includes a selection of signed jewels from the Estate of Lucille E. Davison, a prominent collector, philanthropist and long-time trustee of Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. Her jewelry collection includes more than 40 signed jewels that represent the best in modern design, including several “mystery set” jewels by Van Cleef & Arpels, and a selection of bracelets and brooches conceived by the legendary designer Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. The total collection is estimated to reach $1 million. 

Cushion-cut Colombian emerald ear pendants of 26.03 and 25.32 cts. $1 million - $1.5 million. Photo credit: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2012

The April 17 sale is the first jewelry auction since the record-breaking $137.2 million jewelry sale of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor in December—which served as the final note on a record $600 million in jewelry sales worldwide for the auction house that was “shaped by continuing demand for top colored and colorless diamonds with exceptional provenance,” said Rahul Kadakia, Head of Jewelry at Christie’s New York.

View all the major sale items by following this link.

From the Estate of Lucille E. Davison, a 'Mystery-Set' ruby and diamond “Pavot” flower brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels; Estimate $60,000 – 80,000. Photo credit: CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2012

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The Bespoke Nib: The Final Frontier In Making The Perfect Writing Instrument

A model of the Montblanc bespoke nib.

HAMBURG, Germany — Among those who collect and use fine writing instruments there is nothing more personal than the nib. Collectors, writing enthusiasts and artists constantly debate which nibs are best. It’s a conversation that will never have a conclusion.

What we are talking about is the part of the dip pen or fountain pen that comes into contact with the writing surface to deposit ink.

I was at Montblanc’s headquarters on the outskirts of Germany’s second-largest city to get a first-hand look at how they manufacturer nibs. What I was surprised to learn is that the company has set up a department for creating personalized nibs through its boutiques in nine cities. The bespoke service combines modern technology with old world craftsmanship and service. Axel Nier, technical setter of the Nib Department, and Frank Derlien, Nib Department manager, put me through the process that is available in its boutiques in New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Milan and Mexico City as well its Hamburg headquarters.

The service of testing and then creating a personalized nib costs 1,200 euros ($1,577), Niersays. Depending on its acceptance in these boutiques, it may become available at more boutiques.

“We have a lot of VIP customers who really love this tool,” he says.

Other than the fact that I’m doing a story, Nier also is also interested in turning me into a user of fountain pens for my daily work. I tell him I don’t think it’s a good idea since I tend to destroy pens while working. But he’s determined.

A pen with a transmitter on it that, along with an digital desk pad, provides details about handwriting styles.

The process begins with Nier handing me a pen with a digital transmitter attached to it. With it, I print a prepared statement along with my signature. I write on paper but below the paper there’s an electronic desk pad that provides details about my writing style. Even though it’s actual pen on paper, it feels a bit less comfortable.

Montblanc software measures a person’s writing style based on speed, pressure, pen rotation, swing range and inclination angle.

Montblanc designed its own software that measures a person’s writing style based on five key measurements: writing speed, writing pressure, pen rotation, swing range and inclination angle. As I write lines appear on a computer screen that measures the five areas. In the end of the process a certificate prints with my writing measurements and a recommendation. Based on those measurements, Montblanc can now have an accurate guide to specify a writing instrument. The recommendation is for me to use a “fine” nib, which is typical for someone who constantly takes notes.

From here, there are two options. The person can either buy a writing instrument at the store that best fits his writing style or he can have a writing instrument designed at Montblanc’s headquarters that exactly fits his criteria. The determination is based on the computer data analyzed by the writing experts at the nib factory.

“We can make your DNA fountain pen suited for your hand and we will hand make everything here in Hamburg,” Nier says. “The data will be sent via Internet and we can analyze each step. We have 2,500 measurement points that we can analyze and we can make a perfect nib for your hand.”

My writing characteristics report.

To top it off, the service includes a personalized statement engraved on the nib.

In my case I did some additional freestyle for Nier. Through this he concluded that I should use an extra-fine nib for my daily writing and a medium-sized nib for writing my signature.

I am certainly convinced to the superiority of a fountain pen over a standard pen. However, I’m not convinced that a fine writing instrument should go undergo the daily abuse my pens go through.

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Harry Winston and Swatch Group Pay $26.7 Million for 101-Ct. ‘Perfect Diamond’

The Swatch Group and HarryWinston are celebrating their new partnership with the purchase of a pear-shaped, D color, flawless diamond of 101.73 carats for more than $26.7 million at Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels Sale Wednesday.

Billed by the auction house as the “perfect diamond,” the price paid set a world auction record for a colorless diamond. The diamond (which sold for $254,400 per carat) has been renamed “The Winston Legacy.”

“The acquisition of ‘Winston's Legacy’ underscores the brand’s continued commitment to perfection and quality at the highest level. A stone of this caliber and rarity is the perfect continuation of Mr. Winston’s legacy as the King of Diamonds,” said Nayla Hayek, the new CEO of Harry Winston.

Rahul Kadakia, head of Jewelry, Christie's Switzerland and Americas, added: “Harry Winston acquired the most perfect diamond ever offered for sale at auction, ‘Winston Legacy,’ continuing the tradition of buying and selling only the very best, a trait of the founder Mr. Winston himself.”

The diamond was the top lot in a sale that fetched a record-breaking $102.1 million, selling 86% by lot and 93% by value, the highest result ever for a various-owner jewelry auction at Christie’s. It included several world records for diamonds, pearls and sapphires. A total of 20 lots sold above $1 million with 147 buyers coming from 31 countries across five continents, Christie’s said.

Among the other notable purchases at Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels Sale, are:

* 19.88-carat cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire, named “The Star of Kashmir” sold for more than $3.4 million, or $175,202 per carat, breaking the world auction record for a per-carat sale of a sapphire.

* Single strand of natural pearls measuring from 13.7 to 10.4mm sold for more $8.4 million, setting a world auction record for a single-strand natural pearl necklace.

Drop-shaped natural pearl ear pendants of 261.66 and 216.37 grains sold for more than $2.4 million, setting a world auction record for a pair of pearl ear pendants.

* 1.92-carat fancy red diamond sold for $3.2 million, setting a world auction price for a red diamond.

 Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

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