The emerald of all excess: world record for a jewel worthy of legend

The world of auctions has seen all the colors – and many carats – but it was an emerald that won the prize this week! Last Tuesday, November 12, in the heart of Geneva, an exceptional 37-carat emerald was sold at Christie’s for almost 9 million dollarsdelighting in passing the title of most expensive jewelry ever sold.

But this sale is not limited to a simple matter of numbers. This square emerald, of such rare purity that one could almost get lost in it, has marked the history of luxury jewelry, thus dethroning another legendary piece. Since 2011, a Bulgari brooch, given by Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor as an engagement, held this famous record: 23.44 carats of emerald surrounded by diamonds and a dose of unsurpassable Hollywood glamour. But this time, it’s here commissioned by the Aga Khan at the Cartier house in 1960 for his first wife Nina Dyer which melted the bidders – or rather their wallets.

The head of the jewelry department at Christie’s in Geneva, Max Fawcett, did not hide his satisfaction: “ Emeralds are currently in vogue, and This one ticks all the boxes! » And how! If rarity dictates the price, this unique and finely flat stone resembles, according to him, a 50-carat gem in its visual magnitude. But the real feat? Its color! Uniformly green, without this gradient often fatal to flat emeralds which lose their intensity in the center. This is a precious stone that never loses its splendor.

SO, Who fell for this one-of-a-kind gem? Mystery and rhinestones… The identity of the buyer has remained confidential, but there is no doubt that this emerald will not disappear from the radar for all that. One thing is certain, it will continue to dazzle for a long time to come, and to make the hearts of lovers of beautiful stones beat faster, well beyond the Geneva auction rooms…