Pre-Auction Analysis: November 9th, 2021, Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels

Some parts of the industry are prevented from traveling to Geneva during this challenging period, this Auction Analysis could help those who would like to bid without physically inspecting the goods.                                                 

Our Christie’s Geneva 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). We analyze and grade Fancy Color Diamonds relative to their 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, pass the industry threshold and can be traded easily. Fancy Color Diamonds that have a total score of 9 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 for 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 in US Dollars.

Lot: 23

Description: 14.43 ct, Fancy Intense Yellow, Radiant, VVS1 (potentially Internally Flawless)

High Auction Estimation: $22,574 pc

Price realized: $26,608 pc

Rarity: An extremely small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here 

GIA Report: View

Analysis: A fancy Intense Yellow Radiant cut diamond with a solid inner-grade. There is a relatively high color dispersion leaving a thin frame around the table area and an insignificant undertone in the yellow hue. Looking closely on the pavilion facet we can see that the stone was repolished from what used to be a round brilliant cut, probably with a lighter color grade. The 60% depth makes the stone look larger from what we would expect from a face up view of a 14 carat diamond.

Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 9 out of 12 

Lot: 63

Description: 6.02 ct, Fancy Intense Yellow-Green, Pear, VS2 

High Auction Estimation: $63,228 pc

Price realized: $54,699 pc

GIA Report: View

Analysis: A relatively large Fancy Intense Yellow Green pear shape. According to the GIA, the stone has ~40% yellow and ~60% green as body color. The inner-grade is above average and the color dispersion is quite high, leaving very few colorless patches on the Face up. The hue meets our expectations from the GIA description and the face up of the stone corresponds to the carat weight.

Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 9 out of 12

Lot: 71

Description: 42.98 ct, Fancy Vivid Yellow, Emerald cut, VVS1 

High Auction Estimation: $101,226 pc

Price realized: $71,269 pc

Rarity: A similar diamond enters the market once every… Check Rarity Here 

GIA Report: View

Analysis: A very large, Vivid Yellow Emerald cut diamond with a high color dispersion, an average inner-grade and with an insignificant undertone in the yellow hue. Coincidentally, lot number 288 in the following Sotheby’s sale is surprisingly similar. Looking at the identical millimeter size and the manner the culet was made in both stones, one could mistakenly think that these two diamonds used to be a pair before this Geneva auction.

Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 9 out of 12

Lot: 62

Description: 1.06 ct, Fancy Intense Purplish Pink, Round, SI2 

High Auction Estimation: $256,137 pc

Price realized: $362,426 pc

Rarity: An extremely small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here 

GIA Report: View

Analysis: A highly saturated, round Pink diamond, with very high inner-grade color dispersion. The purple modifier in the color makes the hue quite pleasant. Although the fluorescent level is on the higher side of the “Medium” grade, we can say that there is no negative impact on the brilliance of the diamond. The SI2 clarity grade is quite present and easily spotted when looping the stone. Some even might say it is visible with the naked eye.

Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 12 out of 12

Lot: 64

Description: 2.05 ct, Fancy Intense Pink, Pear, SI2

High Auction Estimation: $264,966 pc

Price realized: $214,176 pc

Rarity: An extremely small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here

GIA Report: View

Analysis: A fancy Intense Pink brilliant cut diamond. Due to the colorless style cut, the color can be spotted mainly in the pointy area and close to the curved contour of the shape; leaving a large colorless area in the center. The inner-grade is average and the relatively cold pink undertone creates a pleasant hue for a straight Pink. A large feather reaches the table area with some black inclusion underneath it. Graining lines are visible and create a hazy look. GIA report, dated 2012

Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 8 out of 12

Lot: 76

Description: 7.37 ct, Fancy Light Pink, Marquise, VVS1 (potentially Internally Flawless, type IIa)

High Auction Estimation: $4,349,221 Total

Price realized: $2,272,902 Total

GIA Report: View

Analysis: A fancy light Pink Marquise with a surprising low inner-grade and poor color dispersion. 

Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 5 out of 12

Lot: 77

Description: 6.75 ct, Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink, Heart, SI1 

High Auction Estimation: $1,606,009 pc

Didn’t reach the minimun

Rarity: A similar diamond enters the market once every… Check Rarity Here 

GIA Report: View

Analysis: A relatively large Vivid Purple-Pink heart-shaped diamond. The inner-grade is solid and will meet one’s expectation from a Pink diamond in the vivid category. The Purple modifier is prominent and gives the diamond a Raspberry hue. We have added a picture of the diamond under UV light showing the large amount of Purple in the color mix. The SI1 clarity grade is bordering one grade below, with many black inclusions scattered around the crown and under the table. In fact, some of the black crystals are visible to the naked eye and the “clouds” affect the overall brilliance of the diamond, giving it a hazy impression. The 48% depth makes the stone look larger in relation to its weight.

Visual Assets:

Total Visual Score 10 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 the grade 1, while a stone that exhibits its face-up view with no colorless patches will receive the grade 4+. Unlike the first two elements, the color dispersion is not a gemological quality and is the result of cutter proficiency.