A rare 118.88-carat unheated "Royal Blue" Burmese sapphire – the largest stone of such nature to be offered at Sotheby’s in the last two decades – will top the bill at an upcoming auction in Hong Kong. 

Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels sale scheduled for October 7 is a celebration of colours, thanks to an impressive selection of rare coloured gemstones and diamonds, including contemporary designs by Hong Kong-based gemstone jewellery specialist FORMS and Nicholas Lieou, former director of design of High Jewelry and Custom Design at Tiffany & Co in New York. 

“The jewellery market has proven to be highly resilient, with our clients in Asia eyeing the best-quality jewels on offer. This auction is distinguished by invaluable treasures that will surely dazzle collectors across the region and beyond,” noted Wenhao Yu, deputy chairman, Jewellery at Sotheby's Asia.

The star lot – the rare cushion-shaped sapphire – is accompanied by a report from the Gübelin Gemological Laboratory stating that it possesses a combination of outstanding characteristics: A homogenous and richly saturated royal blue colour, which typifies the finest of these gems, alongside high clarity and brilliance, which all contribute to the beauty of the gem.

Another highlight of the sale is a 6.41-carat unheated “Pigeon’s Blood” Burmese ruby and diamond ring, designed and mounted By FORMS. The piece has a pre-sale estimate of HK$17 million to HK$22 million (around US$2.21 million to US$2.86 million).

Featuring 118 lots, the Magnificent Jewels auction will also present fancy colour diamond and imperial green jadeite pieces as well as collectors’ items by legendary jewellery houses Harry Winston and Cartier, to name a few.