The Most Expensive Ruby Ring
American billionaire Lily Safra’s jewelry auction continues to establish record results. Christie’s auction of Lily Safra’s jewels includes the largest collection of single-owner JAR jewels to ever go on auction. The private jewelry collection raised a total of $37.9 million, exceeding its pre-sale estimate of $20 million. The collection also set a record for the most expensive ruby ring auctioned at $6,742,440. This top of the lot Burmese ruby diamond ring was designed by Chaumet. Safra’s ‘The Hope Ruby’ highlighted a cushion-shaped red stone weighing 32.08 carats. The auctioned price was the highest ever price for a ruby sold at auction.
Safra’s record smashing ruby will benefit twenty charitable societies, all of which will be distributed through the Lily Safra Foundation to 20 different charitable institutions, including youth villages in Rwanda to Elton John’s AIDS Foundation and medical research. This means all the proceeds will cover a wide variety of work around the world. The record breaking sale of Chaumet’s carat cushion shaped Burmese ruby and diamond ring was estimated to be sold for an estimate of around $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 as against the price of $6,742,440. The design highlight includes its vivid red, poetically referred to as ‘pigeon blood’, due to a combination of well-balanced trace elements in the stone, typical and characteristic for fine rubies of the Mogok gemstone tract.
The most expensive JAR jewel was a ruby and diamond Camellia flower brooch that was created for Safra in 2003. Pave- set with rubies weighing 173.09 carats, it was sold for $4,319,591 exceeding an estimate of $1,200,000- $1,500,000.
This billionaire was born in Brazil and is the wife of the late banker Edmond Safra. Safra, a lover of jewels is a women who loves to donate for social causes. Mrs. Lily Safra’s wealth includes rubies, diamonds and sapphires along with an outstanding collection of fine antique and period jewelry. Lily Safra expressed her love for jewels and stated that only someone with a benevolent conviction could have provide such great support to serve a noble cause. The charitable organizations that will benefit from such proceeds will eventually help in making this world a better place to live. Mrs Safra received a standing ovation for her humanitarian deeds as she went to thank every buyer and bidder at the end of the sale. The exquisite collection of jewels date back to 1970’s with various designs placed at the auction that reveled modern craftsmanship in true sense.
Gilded Lily’s ‘Jewels of Hope’ promoted interest of many jewelry lovers at the auction. Everyone at the event was proud to be associated with such a commendable endeavor. These beautiful pieces of jewels at the auction are synonymous for all words relating to expertise, technique and precision. – Bornrich
