Lot 132. A magnificent 15.52 carats step-cut Type IIa diamond single-stone ring, by Harry Winston, circa 1973. Estimate £700,000 - 900,000 (€880,000 - 1.1 million). Sold for £1,094,500 (€1,397,204) inc. premium. Photo Bonhams.

LONDON.- Magnificent diamonds from Harry Winston and coloured gemstones achieved top prices when they went under the hammer at Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale in London on 20 April 2016. 

Bidders in the New Bond Street saleroom, online, and on the telephones, competed for 129 lots during the auction which achieved £4.98 million with 88% lots sold by value. 

Diamonds sparkle brightly in London 
Gracing the front cover of the sale catalogue and headlining Bonhams London’s first Fine Jewellery sale of the year was a magnificent 15.52 carat step-cut diamond single-stone ring by Harry Winston. The diamond - D colour and VVS2 clarity, potentially flawless - attracted interest from across the globe and went to a telephone bidder for £1,094,500 against its pre-sale estimate of £700,000-£900,000. 

Lot 132. A magnificent 15.52 carats step-cut Type IIa diamond single-stone ring, by Harry Winston, circa 1973. Estimate £700,000 - 900,000 (€880,000 - 1.1 million). Sold for £1,094,500 (€1,397,204) inc. premium. Photo Bonhams.

 (cf. my post A magnificent 15.52 carats step-cut Type IIa diamond single-stone ring, by Harry Winston, circa 1973)

An exceptional pair of marquise-cut and pear-shaped diamond earrings, also by the famed American jeweller, proved popular with bidders. The earrings, totalling 25.37 carats, were the subject of fierce bidding, eventually selling for £266,500 against their pre-sale estimate of £150,000-£200,000. 

Lot 131. An exceptional pair of diamond earrings, by Harry Winston, circa 1976. Estimate £150,000 - 200,000 (€190,000 - 250,000). Sold for £266,500 (€340,205) inc. premium. Photo Bonhams.

(Cf. my post An exceptional pair of diamond earrings, by Harry Winston, circa 1976)

Elsewhere in the sale, an antique cushion-shaped diamond bangle featuring 13 graduated diamonds, including a central 9.50 carats Fancy Yellow diamond, sold for £206,500. 

Lot 17. A cushion-shaped diamond bangle. Sold for £206,500 (€262,412) inc. premium. Photo Bonhams.

(Cf. my post A cushion-shaped diamond bangle)

Sapphires soaring 
A striking Kashmir cabochon sapphire, weighing 7.13-carats, was one of the sale’s star performers, selling to a telephone buyer for £506,500 against its pre-sale estimate of £50,000-£70,000. The unheated sapphire, set in a ring surrounded by old brilliant-cut diamonds, boasts the coveted ‘Royal Blue’ colour, a term reserved only for the very best examples of these rare gemstones. 

Lot 129. A 7.13 carats Kashmir 'Royal Blue' sapphire and diamond cluster ring. Sold for £506,500 (€643,640) inc. premium. Photo Bonhams.

(Cf. my post A 7.13 carats Kashmir 'Royal Blue' sapphire and diamond cluster ring)

Another Bonhams’ client was tickled pink after successfully bidding for a rare oval-cut pink sapphire from Burma, weighing 17.15 carats. This was much admired during Bonhams’ jewellery previews in Geneva, New York, Hong Kong and London ahead of the sale. The sapphire, set in a ring by Cartier, sold for £140,500 against its pre-sale estimate of £30,000-£40,000. 

Lot 119. A pink sapphire and diamond ring, by Cartier. Sold for £140,500 (€179,357) inc. premium. Photo Bonhams.

The oval-cut sapphire, weighing 17.15 carats, between triangular-cut diamond shoulders, signed Cartier, numbered 1930, maker's marks, ring size L, Cartier case

Accompanied by a report from SSEF stating that the sapphire is of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating. Report number 84349, dated 2 March 2016.

Signed jewellery ever popular 
A private collection of bird brooches by Cartier also proved popular with bidders. Collected during the 1960s, each of the five birds featured a different gemstone. The collection reached a total of £123,750, demonstrating the enduring appeal of signed jewellery. 

Lot 121. A gem-set and diamond kingfisher brooch, by Cartier, circa 1965-70. Sold for £52,500 (€67,019) inc. premium. Photo Bonhams.