Featuring a 2.08-carat circular brilliant diamond center stone, SI1-SI2 clarity and 0.13-carat total weight of single cut diamond accents, this size 4½ ring came from an Upper East Side collection and sold to a tri-state resident who also purchased several other jewelry lots for $5,330 ($6/8,000).
Review by Jessica Kosinski; Photos Courtesy Capsule Auctions
NEW YORK CITY — Capsule Auctions conducted its Luxury and Great Estates auction on December 16. Many pieces of jewelry were featured, including the top lot, a stunning platinum diamond engagement ring. Furniture, coins, flatware, artwork, accessories and more also crossed the block. The 189-lot auction had a sell-through rate of nearly 80 percent.
The diamond engagement ring featured a center stone consisting of a 2.08-carat circular brilliant diamond with SI1-SI2 clarity and four single-cut diamond accents. Several bidders took interest in the ring before a buyer from the local tri-state area ultimately won it for $5,330 via an online absentee bid. Another jewelry lot took second place: an Italian 18K gold rope chain from the private collection of a resident at The Beekman in New York City. This necklace attracted a dealer who viewed it in-person before the sale and purchased it via online bid for $5,038.
Purses and bags were among the most popular items in the sale. Two such lots from the French company Hermès (founded 1837) finished among the top nine highest sales, and several others featured throughout the sale. The top two were a Kelly 32 box calf leather purse and a Convoyeur mini messenger bag. The former found a new home with a West Coast buyer for $4,375. The latter stayed in the tri-state area and sold for $3,438. They were joined in the top nine by a Chanel Mademoiselle vintage quilted sheepskin flap bag, which was taken home for $4,063 by a live bidder during the sale. All three lots came from local Upper East Side collections.
One of seven items by Hermès featured in the sale was this Kelly 32 box purse featuring brown calf leather, gold-plated hardware and a “Hermès Paris” stamp. The 9-by-12½-by-4¾-inch purse from an Upper East Side collection sold via Capsule’s online bidding platform to a West Coast bidder for $4,375 ($2/4,000).
Another top accessory lot was a Nineteenth Century 14K yellow gold P.S. Bartlett pocket watch. Watches with several different signatures, including “P.S. Bartlett,” were produced at the Waltham, Mass., factory of American Waltham Watch Company. This one came from a private New York collection and went to another collector in the tri-state area for $3,575.
Two pieces of furniture also took top spots. They were a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair with ottoman and a Chesterfield leather sofa from Restoration Hardware. The Eames chair came from an Upper West Side collection and was purchased for $4,225 by an online absentee bidder. The origin of the couch was undisclosed, but a local tri-state resident took it home for $3,088.
Herman Miller produced this tan leather Eames lounge chair and matching ottoman featuring a wood frame and painted steel base and measuring 33 by 33 by 32 inches. It sold from an Upper West Side private collection to an absentee bidder online for $4,225 ($2/4,000).
Completing the top lots was a Nineteenth Century Royal Aubusson tapestry titled “A Wine Tasting Party” featuring a lovely garden scene with wine drinkers and dancers. It came from the workshop of French art expert Pierre Dumontiel and was sold in 1992 by Chevalier Inc, New York City to an Upper East Side collector. It once again found a new home with a West Coast buyer using Capsule’s online bidding platform for $3,907.
Capsule Auctions’ next American and European Art, and Great Estates auction will likely take place January 25.
Prices quoted include the buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For more information, 212-353-2277 or www.capsuleauctions.com.
