Sotheby’s had record jewellery sales of $603 million in 2014, the highest annual total in company history. This is the third consecutive year of record sales. More than 3,900 lots were sold and 2,400 clients from 74 countries competed for them. More than 1,000 lots were competed for online and 77 jewels were sold for more than $1 million. The Zoe diamond from the collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon was the top lot at $32.6 million, making a record for a blue diamond and a record per carat of $3,348,205 for any diamond.
The jadeite Hutton-Mdivani necklace, fashioned by Cartier with jadeite beads from the Qing court, was purchased by the Cartier Collection for $27.4 million, a record price surpassed at auction only by diamonds. A new generation of buyers from China, Russia and the Middle East and an international clientele of high net worth individuals contributed to an insatiable demand for top quality sapphires, rubies and emeralds last year.
The Zoe Diamond from the collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon sold in New York last November.
The Hutton-Mdivani necklace.