200-carat diamond and other gems up for grabs at Swiss auction

An extraordinarily large rare diamond called The Yellow Rose is the highlight of this year's Magnificent Jewels auction at Christie's in Geneva. This pear-shaped diamond is 202.18 carats – in the 250-year history of Christie's, only two other yellow diamonds of over 200 carats have been sold. 

When mined in South Africa in 2021, the rough diamond was 370 carats; even now, the gem weighs 40 grams and, when held in the hand, takes up most of the palm. It has excellent polish and symmetry and a "fancy intense yellow" color – hence the name. 

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Such a jewel does not come cheap. Max Fawcett, head of the jewelry department for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Christie's, expects the auction price to reach above $4 million, and this collector's stone to end up with a buyer in the Middle East. 

The Yellow Rose will be auctioned on Wednesday, along with several high-value jewels, including pieces from well-known designers including Buccellati, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, and JAR.

Among the auction highlights are the collections of sapphires and rubies. The ruby selection highlights include two 'pigeon blood' stones from Myanmar, while the sapphires originate from Kashmir, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Madagascar. 

The star of the sapphire collection is an exceptional sugarloaf Burmese sapphire of 30.37 carats and diamond ring by Graff. It's estimated to fetch between $650,000 and $900,000, says Christie's Milan senior specialist Leo Criaco, "but we're expecting a lot more, the quality of the stone is fantastic."

Criaco says the sapphire and ruby markets have been performing very well last year, particularly with buyers from Asia: "Chinese clients love them and they are the strongest buyers in the market at the moment."

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