Beautiful Blue Aquamarines Hit the Auction Block at Sotheby’s

Anyone in need of an aquamarine? March babies, get ready: today in Paris, Sotheby’s will auction off two impressive, luminous aquamarine pendants in a Fine Jewels sale.

Let’s have a closer look at the gems, shall we? We’ll start with Lot 262 from the auction: this classic aquamarine pendant. The piece comes from “a private collection.”

Here’s how the lot notes describe the pendant: “set with an octagonal aquamarine weighing 37.88 carats.” The aquamarine, which is natural with no evidence of heating, measures 23.44 x 16.83 x 12.33mm, and it has “minute chips.” The gemstone is set in 18K white gold, and the piece has French marks.

Here’s a look at the back of the piece, including the bale that allows it to be used as a pendant. Sotheby’s states that the pendant is “overall in very good condition.”

They also show the jewel cradled in the hands of a model. (Not sure why it wasn’t shown on a necklace.) The auction estimate for the pendant is set at 5,000-10,000 euros (about $5,400-$10,800 USD).

And here’s the second aquamarine pendant from the sale. It’s Lot 264 in the auction, and Sotheby’s notes that it was previously the “property of a lady.”

This aquamarine is considerably bigger and bluer than the first. Sotheby’s describes the pendant as “set with a rectangular step-cut aquamarine weighing 69.89 carats.” This stone was also determined to be a natural gemstone with no evidence of heating. It measures 29.69 x 18.24 x 15.63 mm and has “a few minute chips to the facet edges.”

Like the previous pendant, this one is made of 18k gold. Presumably it’s also white gold, but oddly, the prongs look very yellow in one of the photographs provided by the auction house. The condition report notes that this pendant has some scratches on its hoop.

This piece was indeed shown being worn on a chain by a Sotheby’s model. Because it’s a larger piece, it also has a larger expected price tag: 8,000-12,000 euros (about $8,670-$13,000 USD).

Both pendants are included in the second session of today’s auction. Live bidding at the auction starts at 2 PM in Paris (or 9 AM eastern time, for my fellow Americans). Royal ladies have been known to watch jewelry auctions on the continent and snap up pieces. Which royals do you think need aquamarine pendants in their jewelry boxes?