Pre-Auction Analysis: October 7th 2019, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite

This year’s sale takes place under a very challenging commercial climate. The civil riots in Hong Kong might reflect directly on the amount of people attending the sale and we recommend not overlooking this fact when we analyse the final results.

As always, Our 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 (IDU; a detailed explanation appears at the bottom of this article). When we analyse and grade of 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 IDU score of 8, without a red remark, are considered to be “Gems” and are generally sought after by high-end jewellery 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 10, no filters were applied.
• All auction valuations are per carat and in US Dollars.

Lot # 1820

10.64 carat Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink, Radiant cut, IF, Type IIa. High catalog estimation: $2,453,653 pc

Price Realized: $1,868,653 pc

According to the FCRF general rarity data, the majority of vivid pink diamonds on the market range from half a carat to one carat in size. According to the rarity calculator; a stone with these characteristics enters the market once every 25 years. Despite the fact that the stone is Type IIa