Pre-Auction Analysis: July 9th, 2020, Christie’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 Christie’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.

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

Lot #1947

12.11 carat Fancy Intense Blue, Marquise, IF. High catalog estimation: $1,017,003 per carat

Price realized: $1,303,971 pc

This stone is a specimen from a period when Fancy Color diamonds were cut exactly like colorless diamonds and a Marquise cut diamond was a very popular shape. Large Fancy Color Marquise shape diamonds are no longer in high demand, however they fall under the category of