A vintage sapphire weighing 7.58 carats, reportedly belonging to a royal family, fetched three times its lower valuation at a Christie’s auction in Paris, IDEX Online reports.
The Kashmir gem, featuring a cushion-cut with a vibrant royal blue hue, sold for $1.03 million (EUR 945,000). Initially estimated to fetch between $327,000 and $436,000, it was the highlight of the Joaillerie Paris online auction, which raked in a total of $12.03 million.
While the specific royal family associated with the sapphire was not disclosed by Christie’s, another item of note from the auction was a 29.60-carat fancy intense yellow diamond. This gem, which was sold for $577,000, originated from the family collection of Prince Barbu Alexandru Știrbey, who served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Romania in 1927.
SSEF, the Swiss Gemmological Institute, graded the sapphire as a vivid blue with strong saturation, exhibiting inclusions consistent with its origin in a remote region of the Himalayan mountains.
