Yesterday, Christie’s also sold a Van Cleef & Arpels Art Deco emerald-and-diamond necklace that belonged to Egyptian Princess Faiza for $4.2 million. The auction house called it a “very rare souvenir of pre-revolutionary Egypt in the late 1940s.” The auction house also sold a collection of perfume icon Helene Rochas, who died in 2011, for $2.3 million.
A Cartier necklace with more than 108 carats of emeralds and 59 carats of diamonds commanded $9.9 million at the auction. It was part of a collection by Bolivian tin tycoon Simon Itturi Patino, known as “The Andean Rockefeller.” A seven-strand necklace with 614 natural saltwater pearls fetched $9.1 million. It was sold by a royal family.
A 1957 Patek Philippe pink-gold watch that adjusts for leap years and is one of six of its kind known to exist sold for $2.2 million at Christie’s earlier as the auction house sold a record $43.9 million of watches within 24 hours. The sales also included a 1969 Rolex that sold for $1.1 million, a record for the Daytona model and close to a record for that brand.
Sotheby’s sold a Breguet pocket watch that belonged to Sir Richard Wallace, known for the fine art gallery in London, to the Breguet museum for $1.1 million yesterday.