The Auction Season's Real Gems

In 2011, months after her death, Christie's New York sold it for $11.8 million Ms Lingon, who joined Christie's 25 years ago, has seen jewelry's importance soar, with annual global sales going from about $190 million in 1994 to more than $600 million today.

As the auction season for jewelry begins, there's probably no better place to examine these sales than Christie's, which appears to have held the first in 1795 The sale is already in previews, so to speak, as the more than 370 lots travel to various Christie's showrooms to be viewed by prospective buyers Do people attend the previews in person or send scouts? Do they examine all the variously angled photos? Talk to the available Christie's experts? Take the unsigned diamond tube bracelet with platinum and gray gold that clients brought to Christie's not long ago.

Christie's had an idea, did the research and learned it was a 1948 piece by Suzanne Belperron, a favorite of the Duchess of Windsor's. . Source