Rare Red Carpet-Ready Vintage Jewels Could Fetch $8M at Christie's Auction

From vivid blue diamonds to an iconic zip necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, there's no shortage of sparkle at Christie's upcoming Magnificent Jewels sale, set for Tuesday, April 16 in New York Featuring 292 lots, this first event of Christie's 2019 international auction season for jewelry has been planned with plenty of dazzle in mind, curated to include a mix of vintage pieces and major stones that seem destined for the red carpet How to pick favorites among the selection? For auction organizers, some lots can feel a bit like holy grail moments; such is the case with a pair of fancy intense yellow diamonds included in this sale, one totaling 3765 carats and set in a ring and the other totaling 3506 carats and originally set as a pendant.

"I've been working on these two pieces for 15 years They're quite impressive," says Daphne Lingon, head of jewelry for Christie's Americas The sale's offering of sizable stones is nicely balanced with vintage pieces that should attract buyers who love art deco jewels or designs considered iconic to their respective houses.

Other vintage jewels include a Bulgari necklace featuring multi-colored stones - "What I love is that they cut the stones to fit the design, rather than vice versa," Lingon says - as well as several whimsical animal brooches by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co., including an example of his famed "Bird on a Rock" brooch and his "Dolphin" brooch, featuring diamonds, emeralds and sapphires set in 18-karat yellow gold "This may be the first piece of jewelry ever created to promote a movie - it's quite a rare piece, and we don't know if there's another one," Lingon points out of the bracelet, designed to honor the 1937 animated feature, which resulted in an honorary Academy Award - as well as seven miniature statuettes - presented to Walt Disney in 1939 for his "Significant screen innovation." . Source