Pre-Auction Analysis: April 13, 2022, Christie’s New York, Magnificent Jewels Including the Fuchsia Rose Diamond

Our Christie’s New York Pre-Auction Analysis focuses on elements that aren’t visible to the untrained eye. We will describe the important visual elements for those who cannot attend the preview and discuss characteristics such as Undertone, Color Dispersion, and Inner-Grade. These factors, collectively termed IDU, are explained in detail at the end of this article. We analyze and grade Fancy Color Diamonds relative to their GIA grade.

We use grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, with 1 being the lowest grade. A grade of “4+” is granted in rare cases and denotes stones with exceptional characteristics. Stones that receive a minimum total UDI score of 8, without a red remark, pass the industry threshold and can be traded easily. Fancy Color Diamonds that are graded 10 or above, (without a quality remark) are usually sought after by high-end jewelry brands, collectors, and the investment community.

For your convenience, we have added direct links to the GIA reports.

• All images in this article review were taken with an iPhone 12 Pro; no filters were applied.
• All auction valuations are per-carat and listed in US Dollars

Lot: 40
Description: 8.82 ct, Fancy Intense Purple-Pink, Pear, VVS1
High Auction Estimation: $680,272 pc
Price Realized: $768,707 pc
Rarity: A similar diamond enters the market once every…Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View

Analysis:
A relatively large Intense Pink pear shape with ~40% purple hue in the color composition. The cold purple undertone creates a pleasing color sensation. Large colorless areas are seen in the diamond’s crown and the color Inner-Grade is not high. The face-up view seems a bit smaller in relation to the diamond’s weight.
Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 9 out of 12

Lot: 65
Description: 11.63 ct, Fancy Blue, Radiant, VS1
High Auction Estimation: $300,946 pc
Didn’t reach the minimum
Rarity: A similar diamond enters the market once every…Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View

Analysis:
Looking at the facet alignment of this large Fancy Blue radiant-cut diamond, it is evident that the stone went through a shape transformation, from a round brilliant to a radiant cut to concentrate and reinforce the color. The diamond is saturated with internal graining, which causes an opaque look and lowers its brilliance. A gray undertone is present in the hue and two large colorless patches are visible from the table, facets leftovers from the original round brilliant. The face-up view of the diamond looks larger in relation to its weight.
Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 7 out of 12

Lot: 52
Description: 2.44 ct, Fancy Intense Pink, Round, VVS1
High Auction Estimation: $819,672 pc
Price Realized: $663,934 pc
Rarity: A similar diamond enters the market once every… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View

Analysis:
Round brilliants are not common among Fancy Color diamonds, and even more so for pink diamonds of this size. A meticulous facet alignment was put into place with a shallow pavilion (56% depth), in order to concentrate color under the table. The small open culet is likely a sign that this diamond is from the mid-twentieth century. The inner-grade is at the lower end of the scale, and a slight warm undertone is present in the diamond’s color.
Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 7 out of 12

Lot: 73
Description: 15.31 ct, Fancy Vivid Yellow, Emerald, VVS2
High Auction Estimation: $97,975 pc
Price Realized: $86,218 pc
Rarity: An extremely small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View

Analysis:
A large Fancy Vivid Yellow square emerald-cut diamond with a solid Inner-Grade and average color dispersion relative to a step-cut. An insignificant undertone is present in the diamond’s color. The face-up dimensions of the diamond faithfully reflect its weight.
Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 9 out of 12

Lot: 21
Description: 2.01 ct, Fancy Intense Pink, Pear, I1
High Auction Estimation: $149,253 pc
Price Realized: $225,671 pc
Rarity: An extremely small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View

Analysis:
An early century, shallow (37% depth) Fancy Intense Pink pear shape with a color Inner-Grade that borders on Fancy Vivid Pink. Although the undertone is slightly warm, it gives off a pleasing color sensation. The glassy area in the diamond’s table highlights the feather that crosses it. Symmetry is fair, which is typical of antique stones.
Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 10 out of 12

Lot: 16
Description: 8.79 ct, Fancy Yellow, Radiant, VS1
High Auction Estimation: $11,377 pc
Price Realized: $10,750 pc
Rarity: An extremely small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View

Analysis:
A Fancy yellow radiant-cut with a solid Inner-Grade and an insignificant undertone. Four dark colorless areas are seen in the crown area.
Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score _ out of 12

General

We use 1, 2, 3, 4, and 4+ to grade the three visual elements that GIA is silent about, although they impact the value dramatically.

Inner-Grade refers to the strength of color within each GIA saturation category:

Grade 1 weakest, bordering the saturation below.

Grade 2 weak (most common).

Grade 3 full-bodied color (above average).

Grade 4 very strong saturation.

Grade 4+ applies to the vivid category only, exhibiting the strongest possible saturation (rarely seen).

Undertone refers to a subtle hue influence in the body color of the stone.

For example:

A Fancy Blue Diamond with a significant gray presence in its general appearance will be graded with a low undertone grade of 1. A Fancy Blue that has no gray influence that is close to a primary blue will receive the grade, 4.

In a Pink Fancy Color Diamond, a stone with a warm undertone (such as orange or brown) will receive a low undertone grade. A pink stone with a cold undertone (such as purple) will receive a high grade.

In Yellow Fancy Color Diamonds, low foreign influence or a light orange influence will grant the stone a high undertone grade. When the yellow undertone looks like a true primary yellow, it will receive the rare grade 4+. Green and brown undertones will grant a low grade in the yellow category.

Color Dispersion relates to how well the color is dispersed in the face-up view of a Fancy Color Diamond, regardless as to whether the GIA grades the stone as even. A stone with many colorless areas will receive a grade of 1, while a stone that exhibits its face-up view with no colorless patches will receive a grade of 4+. Unlike the first two elements, the color dispersion is not a gemological quality and is the result of cutter proficiency.