Diamond Ring Shatters Estimate at Skinner Auction
A 4.97-carat diamond ring beat its estimate at the most recent Bonhams Skinner jewelry auction, fetching $107,475.
The piece led the Important Jewelry sale, which closed on November 29 and performed “exceptionally well,” the Boston, Massachusetts-based auction house said earlier this month.
The sale featured antique jewelry and signed pieces by designers such as Van Cleef & Arpels. Skinner also offered a private collection from Italy’s Firm of Castellani, a family jewelry empire, which included a version of its famous Owl brooch, created in 1860. A similar version is on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Here are the top five pieces:

This pear-shaped, 4.97-carat, D-color, VS2-clarity diamond ring brought in $107,475, well above its $70,000 high estimate.

A round brilliant-cut, 8.21-carat, fancy-deep-brownish-yellow, VVS2-clarity diamond pendant went for $88,575 at the sale, surpassing its $80,000 upper price tag.

Skinner sold this “Toi et Moi” ring for $82,275. It features a round, 1.88-carat, D-color, VS2-clarity diamond and a cushion-cut, 2.39-carat, pigeon’s blood Burmese ruby, along with channel-set ruby and diamond baguettes. The piece exceeded its high estimate of $80,000.

This pair of earrings contains two fancy-vivid-yellow diamonds, weighing 2.45 and 2.39 carats. Both are suspended from full-cut white diamonds. The set garnered $81,015, beating its upper estimate of $60,000.

A ring set with an oval-cut, 4.66-carat, H-color, VVS1-clarity diamond center stone, flanked by tapered baguettes, brought in $76,000.
Main image: The 4.97-carat diamond ring. (Bonhams Skinner)