Harry Winston buys the Rockefeller emerald
The Rockefeller Emerald highlighting was bought by famed American jewellery house Harry Winston, whose CEO Nayla Hayek instructed CFO Robert Scott, who was bidding at the auction, to “bring this magnificent gem home at any price”.
An 18.04-carat emerald of mesmerising colour and impeccable clarity - by Raymond C. Yard - once owned by the Rockefeller family sold at auction for $5.5 million in New York June 20th: at $305,000 per carat, it broke the world record price-per-carat for an emerald sold at auction. Selling towards the high end of its $4-6 million estimate, it was described by Christie's as "among the finest emeralds to be offered for sale at auction".
Nayla Hayek of Harry Winston commented: “Harry Winston is immensely proud to own the finest emerald in the world which once belonged to one of America’s most important dynasties”.
Prior to the sale, the price-per-carat record belonged to the 23.46-carat emerald and diamond pendant brooch that sold at Christie's in New York for $6.5 million in 2011. Part of Elizabeth Taylor's treasured suite of Bulgari emerald jewels, it achieved $280,000 per carat, a price greatly influenced by the set's historic provenance.
This superb Colombian emerald embodies the grandeur of the Rockefeller empire. Known for his unique flair and keen eye for quality, Raymond Carter Yard set a high standard for American jewellery design in the 20th century. Born the son of a railroad conductor in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1885, as a boy Raymond Yard became known to William Elder Marcus, owner of Marcus & Co, an established jewellery firm in New York City. After Yard’s father passed away, Marcus offered the young Raymond a job, and at 13 years of age he quit school and moved to Manhattan with his mother.
Rockefeller strongly encouraged Raymond Yard to establish his own firm. Yard resigned from Marcus & Co. at the age of 37, and opened his first salon in May 1922 at 527 Fifth Avenue. Within four years, with business booming and more space needed, Raymond C. Yard, Inc. had moved location up Fifth Avenue.
Tom Burstein, Head of US Jewelry: “The Rockefeller Emerald is one of the best gemstones to ever be offered at auction and its superior beauty and quality are matched only by its historic name. Christie’s is especially proud to be offering this Raymond Yard ring in the heart of Rockefeller Center, in our New York Saleroom.”
The intense colour and distinct saturation that typifies a Colombian emerald is illustrated perfectly in this remarkable stone. Described by the American Gemological Laboratories as ‘Exceptional’, it possesses what AGL calls an ‘unusual combination of size, provenance, absence of treatment and quality factors [that contribute] favourably to its rarity and desirability’.
Due to its rarity, an emerald of this quality and significant weight is not readily found in the market, and it is ranked at the top of its class. The ring, which was sold by an American private collector, fittingly enough was auctioned at Christie's New York, whose saleroom is located within the Rockefeller Center.
Arianna Pinton
