Sotheby's Leads The Global Auction Market For Jewelry With Worldwide Total Of $551.3 Million In 2017

MAJOR MILESTONES AT AUCTION THIS YEAR

- World Auction Record for Any Diamond or Gemstone - "THE CTF PINK STAR" $71.2 Million

- World Auction Record for Earrings - "THE MEMORY OF AUTUMN LEAVES" & "THE DREAM OF AUTUMN LEAVES" $57.4 Million

32% OF BUYERS WERE NEW TO SOTHEBY'S

23% OF LOTS WERE PURCHASED ONLINE

SOTHEBY'S HAS SOLD 4 OF THE 5 MOST EXPENSIVE JEWELS EVER OFFERED AT AUCTION

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Sotheby's

Dec 15, 2017, 08:30 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With worldwide sales for the year totaling $551,300,000, Sotheby's (NYSE: BID) Jewelry division is proud to lead the global auction market in this category. As well as strong results for colored gemstones and signed jewels, major highlights from 2017 include a world auction record for any diamond or gemstone, with "The CTF Pink Star" ($71.2 million, Hong Kong, 4 April) and a world auction record for earrings, with "The Memory of Autumn Leaves" and "The Dream of Autumn Leaves" ($57.4 million, Geneva, 15 May).

Sothebys led the global auction market for jewelry in 2017 with sales totaling $551.3 million. The top lot of year was the The “CTF Pink Star”, a Fancy Vivid Pink Internally Flawless diamond weighing 59.60 carats that sold for $71.2 million ($1,194,505 per carat) in Hong Kong this April, a new world auction record for any diamond or gemstone.

"2017 has been an exceptionally successful year for Jewelry at Sotheby's, with all four selling centers – Geneva, New York, Hong Kong and London – performing very well. Innovations this year have included the scaling up of our online-only sales, as well as our very successful new Fine Jewels auctions in Geneva, which totaled $8.9 million. We were also very pleased to celebrate the tenth anniversary of our dedicated sales of Noble Jewels in Geneva." David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman, Sotheby's Jewelry Division.

About Sotheby's
Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art Division, and two retail businesses, Sotheby's Diamonds and Sotheby's Wine. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

Browse sale catalogues, view original content, stream live auctions and more at www.sothebys.com, and through Sotheby's apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple TV and Amazon Fire

SOURCE Sotheby's