Pre-Auction Analysis: July 10th 2020, Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels

As most of the industry has been prevented from flying during this special period and inspect the lots physically, we believe this current analysis is even more relevant than ever. 

Our Sotheby’s Hong-Kong Pre-Auction Analysis focuses on elements that are hidden from the unprofessional 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 (UDI; a detailed explanation appears at the bottom of this article). When we analyze and grade any Fancy Color Diamond it is always done in relation to its GIA grade.

We use grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, 1 being the lowest grade. Grade + is granted in rare cases and stands for stones with an exceptional characteristic. Stones that receive a minimum total UDI score of 8, without a red remark, are considered to be “Gems” and are generally sought after by high-end jewelry brands, collectors and the investment community.

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

• All images in this article review were taken with an iPhone 11pro, no filters were applied.
• All auction valuations are per carat and in US Dollars.

Lot #1807

4.49 carat Fancy Vivid Pink, Heart, IF. High catalog estimation: $1,954,075 per carat

Price realized: $1,810,427 pc

A 4 carat Fancy Vivid Pink is considered to be very rare, regardless of its shape and clarity. Although the color characteristics are very good in this case, the outline of a heart shape diamond has a symbolic role. Heart shapes that don’t exhibit a classic shape, such as this one, would be considered