The high carat blue or pink diamonds, Kashmir sapphires, colorless stones, Colombian emeralds, and Burmese rubies are the top draws of the rare jewelry auctions.
The different colours like the vibrant red rubies, the stone of nobles- sapphires, and the emeralds have higher desirability rate in the market, where many collectors and celebrities want to own and showcase them.
Recently, an emerald Beaumont Necklace gained $3.6 million at the Sotheby’s auction at Geneva, where its estimated price was double the previously achieved $1.1 million in 1994.
This extraordinary piece was designed by Van Cleef & Arpels, and was, basically, a transformable jewel, which can be detached and worn as a bracelet or a necklace.
Many such pieces have been showcased by celebrities this year at the Oscars, where Lady Gaga endorsed the vintage design that echoed Audrey Hepburn's 128-carat yellow diamond by Tiffany (in 1961).
Vintage Collectables
The auction houses are selling magnificent jewels this year where the Christie New York raised $30m from the sale of such pieces in April.
A record-breaking auction of hundred royal jewels was held by Sotheby in November last year, where Marie-Antoinette pearl and diamond pendant got $36.1m.
Such pieces are rare vintage prized possessions like the blue Hope diamond, held at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, due to its uniqueness and high value. Hope was a 41.11 carat stone found in Botswana.
These are rarest as 10 such pieces can be found only after digging more than 10,000-carat diamonds from mines, while, the blue ones are astonishing where a medium-toned 1 carat stone is expected to get, on an average, $200,000.
Millennials seek personalized Ethical Pieces
The personal luxury goods market hit a new record in the year 2018 at $292 billion where 42 percent of the buyers said they wanted ethical gemstones.
Some buyers said earlier it was difficult to get solid gold items but the new designs made from recyclable gold get them ethical jewels in precious metals.
Millennials search for environmentally friendly conflict-free items with a resale value, and the ones that can be exchanged in markets for other varieties.
They like the ones with a back-story or the inherited pieces, which can be made into new designs. Many such new themes are offered online where customized pieces are loved by the buyers.
Modern jewelry brands are trying to create sustainable sets for buyers.
They are producing exclusively distinct designs made from recycled gold and vintage diamonds that offer rarest stones set in fashionable settings offering ethically sourced metals.
The buyers are not looking for super-wealthy heavy sets, where the woman is draped in gemstones; they seek special pieces which can be made with a combination of many different types/colors of metals and stones.
The young investors seek affordable options and a number of brands are extending direct supplies to the customer to reduce costs.