A pair of diamond earrings called the ‘Apollo and Artemis Diamonds’ were sold for the record-breaking price of $57.4 million, becoming the most valuable earrings to ever be sold at auction. The earrings were sold during Sotheby’s spring sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva. Ahead of the show, Sotheby’s called them “the most important earrings ever to appear at auction”.
The Apollo diamond sold for $42.5 million, while Artemis sold for $15.5 million. Both earrings were sold to the same anonymous buyer, fetching below their joint estimated price of $70 million.
The Apollo and Artemis earrings feature one Fancy Vivid Blue and one Fancy Intense Pink diamond. The Apollo Blue weighs 14.54 carats, and is the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever to be offered at auction. The Artemis Pink weighs 16 carats. According to IDEX Online, the buyer renamed them “The Memory of Autumn Leaves” (Fancy Vivid Blue diamond) and “The Dream of Autumn Leaves’ (Fancy Intense Pink diamond)”.
David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, said ahead of the show: “These exquisite coloured diamonds are enormously rare and each is a wonderful stone in its own right. Together, as a pair of earrings, they are breathtaking. We have named them after Apollo and Artemis, a twin brother and sister of great power and beauty who were among the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities”. After the show, Bennet commented: “”The results from the sale […] yet again underline the strong demand for top quality diamonds, gemstones and jewels”.
