The Geneva Jewels Auction: TWO Geneva Monday, May 13, 2024 | Phillips

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  • Condition Report

    • Set with a brilliant-cut fancy red diamond weighing 1.56 carats, size 52.

      Accompanied by GIA report no. 5151433979, stating that the diamond is Fancy Red, Natural Colour; together with a GIA monograph.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Argyle Phoenix

    Couloured diamonds have been sources of fascination and enchantment throughout history. They symbolise the earth’s many wonders, where the elements come together and create the perfect manifestation of chance and harmony. Prised for being the rarest of them all, red diamonds are nature’s true miracles.

    Most coloured diamonds owe their tints to impurities in their compositions, such as traces of boron or nitrogen among carbon elements. For red diamonds, however, it has been an ongoing mystery. There have been several theories on what causes the redness in these diamonds, and the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) has claimed that one of these explanations could be a natural deformation in the diamond’s lattice structure, caused by its long exposures to high heat and pressure deep within the earth.

    Appearing very rarely on the market, with only few in a pure red hue per year, these coloured diamonds are often found in smaller sizes, usually weighing below a carat. Some of the most famous red diamonds include the Hancock Red, weighing 0.95 carats, sold for $880,000 in 1987, and the Moussaieff Red, weighing a staggering 5.11 carats, one of the largest known red diamonds in the world, showcased in ‘The Splendor of Diamonds’ exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution of Washington D.C. in 2003.

    For several decades, the primary source of red diamonds was the Argyle mine, located in East Kimberly, in the region of Western Australia. Owned by the group Rio Tinto, a leading international mining firm, the Argyle mine was one of the largest suppliers of pink and red diamonds, responsible for about 90% of global output from 1983 to 2020. After 37 years of activity and over 865 million carats of rough diamonds produced, the mine closed its doors, leaving behind a legacy of beauty and quality sprinkled across the many different facets of the market.

    ‘The Argyle Phoenix’ was part of the mine’s annual Tender, a selection of the top stones offered in Antwerp to members of the trade, and was one of the largest fancy red round brilliant diamonds graded by the GIA. Today, the Argyle Phoenix stands as a vibrant remnant of the Argyle mine and a symbol for one of nature’s most fabled gems.

Property of an Important Private Collector

429

'The Argyle Phoenix,' Very rare and mesmerising Fancy Red diamond ring

Set with a brilliant-cut fancy red diamond weighing 1.56 carats, size 52.

Accompanied by GIA report no. 5151433979, stating that the diamond is Fancy Red, Natural Colour; together with a GIA monograph.

Estimate
CHF910,000 - 1,365,000 
€932,000-1,400,000
$1,000,000-1,500,000

Place Advance Bid

The Geneva Jewels Auction: TWO

Geneva Auction 13 May 2024