Sotheby’s New York, Important Jewels, October 20th, 2021
As most of the industry has been prevented from traveling to New York during this challenging period, this Auction Analysis could help those who would like to bid without physically inspecting the goods.
Our Sotheby’s New York 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 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 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: 150
Description: 5.24 ct, Fancy Yellow, Cushion, SI1
High Auction Estimation: $8,587 pc
Price realized: $9,618 pc
Rarity: A small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View
Analysis: A Fancy Yellow Cushion cut with a rectangular outline resembling a Radiant cut. There are several colorless patches surrounding the crown. The Inner-Grade is low and there is no significant Green or Brown undertone in the hue. The SI1 clarity results mainly from a visible black crystal under the table.
Visual Assets:
Inner Grade Hue |
Color Dispersion |
Undertone |
Quality Remark |
|
5.24 ct, F.Y, CU, SI1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
Visible black crystal |
Total Visual Score 8 out of 12
Lot: 130
Description: 5.23 ct, Fancy Yellow, Radiant, SI2
High Auction Estimation: $9,560 pc
Didn’t reach the minimum
Rarity: A similar diamond enters the market once every… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View
Analysis: A 5.23 Radiant Cut Fancy Yellow with an SI2 clarity. The stone’s pavilion is completely covered with yellow gold, thus the visual analysis should be taken lightly. The Inner-Grade is solid, with some colorless patches along the length of the crown. No significant undertone is visible in the hue.
Visual Assets:
Inner Grade Hue |
Color Dispersion |
Undertone |
Quality Remark |
|
5.23 ct, F.Y, Rad, SI2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Total Visual Score 9 out of 12
Lot: 139
Description: 7.88 ct, Fancy Intense Yellow, Radiant, VS1
High Auction Estimation: $10,152 pc
Price realized: $12,791 pc
Rarity: A small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View
Analysis: A Fancy Intense Yellow Radiant with a symbolic .88 weight ending, usually commanding a categorical premium in price. The Inner-Grade is very high and colorless areas appear around the table.
Visual Assets:
Inner Grade Hue |
Color Dispersion |
Undertone |
Quality Remark |
|
7.88 ct, F.I.Y, Rad, VS1 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
Total Visual Score 10 out of 12
Lot: 151
Description: 1.07 ct, Fancy Yellow, Radiant, VS1 and 1.01 ct, Fancy Yellow, Radiant, VS2
High Auction Estimation: $20,000 Total
Price realized: $16,380 Total
Rarity of both diamonds: A small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report of 1.07 ct: View
GIA Report of 1.01 ct: View
Analysis: Two matching Fancy Yellow Radiant cut diamonds. Except for the Inner-Grade, most visual assets are similar, including the millimeter size.
Visual Assets:
Inner Grade Hue |
Color Dispersion |
Undertone |
Quality Remark |
|
1.07 ct, F.Y, Rad, VS1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
|
1.01 ct, F.Y, Rad, VS2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Total Average Score 8.5 out of 12
Lot: 210
Description: 3.01 ct, Fancy Vivid Yellow, Emerald, VVS1
High Auction Estimation: $33,222 pc
Price realized: $29,302 pc
Rarity: A small number of similar diamonds enter the market yearly… Check Rarity Here
GIA Report: View
Analysis: A Vivid Yellow with a very high Inner-Grade and no Undertone in the color mix, exhibiting an absolute Yellow hue. The color dispersion is high for an Emerald cut diamond, leaving very few colorless patches in the center of the stone.
Visual Assets:
Inner Grade Hue |
Color Dispersion |
Undertone |
Quality Remark |
|
3.01 ct, F.V.Y, EM, VVS1 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
Total Visual Score 11 out of 12
Lot: 185
Description: 1.13 ct, Fancy Gray-Blue, Pear, VS1
High Auction Estimation: $132,743 pc
Didn’t reach the minimum
GIA Report: View
Analysis: A geometrical step cut Pear shape, with approximately 40% Gray and 60% Blue in the color mix. The symmetry is graded Fair and the color dispersion is low. The stone has a low depth percentage which makes it appears larger than its weight.
Visual Assets:
Inner Grade Hue |
Color Dispersion |
Undertone |
Quality Remark |
|
1.13 ct, F.G.B, PS, VS1 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
Low dispersion |
Total Visual Score 7 out of 12
Lot: 183
Description: 1.18 ct, Fancy Deep Pink Radiant cut
High Auction Estimation: $150,000 Total
Didn’t reach the minimum
GIA Report: View *Color report only
Analysis: A Fancy Deep Pink with no Orange or Brown undertone in the hue. The report is partial and indicates only the color. Looking at the clarity of the diamond, we can point out that the clarity is between I1 to I2.
Visual Assets:
Inner Grade Hue |
Color Dispersion |
Undertone |
Quality Remark |
|
1.18 ct, F.D.P, EM |
3 |
3 |
3 |
I1 Clarity |
Total Visual Score 9 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.
You reached your free article limit. Click here to join the FCRF and enjoy all our articles and innovative tools & services.
The article has been sent to your email address. Enjoy!
