10 | JNA March/April 2025 FOCUS 焦点 Rarity and colour were the sweet spot for luxury jewellery auctions in 2024, with one-of-a-kind investment jewellery alongside signed pieces and single-owner collections gaining favour among seasoned and aspiring collectors alike. The buyer demographic has also become more dynamic. Younger clients continued to make their presence felt at auction circles while highly discerning and more sophisticated Asian bidders actively participated in overseas sales. Auction houses intensified their digital offerings, combining live and online events to expand their market reach. Meanwhile, several auctioneers strengthened their business strategies in Asia by opening bigger headquarters and aimed to offer rarer, more exquisite jewellery pieces. Not all is rosy though as companies faced headwinds that could continue well into 2025. The most pressing challenges include sourcing valuable private collections as well as pricing difficulties, ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical instability, evolving consumer demand and heightened competition. Vivid and unique Colour was the clear winner at last year’s luxury jewellery auctions, led by fancy pink diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, to name a few. At Christie’s New York, a 10.20-carat fancy intense round brilliant-cut pink diamond ring in 18-karat rose and white gold fetched US$13.29 million, becoming the most expensive jewellery sold at auction in 2024. Demand for top-quality Kashmir, Burmese and Ceylon sapphires along with Colombian emeralds and Burmese rubies was equally robust, according to Ronny Hsu, head of sales, Jewellery Department at Christie’s Asia Pacific. At Christie’s Hong Kong, clients eagerly vied for a Burmese ruby and diamond ring that fetched close to HK$50 million (around US$6.42 million), and a 7.70-carat Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring, which was bought above estimate for over HK$8.6 million (approximately US$1.1 million). Bonhams shared this observation. Jean Ghika, Bonhams’ global head of Jewellery, noted, “The focus for buyers in 2024 has been colour. We have achieved strong results for | Bernardette Sto. Domingo 杜明高 | Bidders placed a premium on opulent fancy colour diamonds and coloured gemstones at global jewellery auctions in 2024, with a younger clientele showing heightened interest in auction pieces. 华丽的彩色钻石和宝石在2024年的拍卖会上大放异彩，年轻买家更展现出浓厚 的兴趣。 Colour splendour 环球拍卖会绽放绚丽光华 win at global auctions Brooch adorned with a 20.11-carat red spinel and diamonds, which fetched HK$2.79 million (around US$358,700) at Bonhams Hong Kong in May 2024 镶嵌20.11克拉红色尖晶石和钻石的胸针，在2024年5 月在邦瀚斯香港地区拍卖会以279万港元（约35.87万 美元）售出 &
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