OAKLAND, CALIF. — The top lot in Clars Auction Gallery’s August 10-11 sale was a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels diamond, sapphire, platinum and 18K gold love bird earrings that flew far and fast away from their $3/5,000 estimate to land at $49,200, including buyer’s premium. The lot generated considerable interest from dealers as well as American and international collectors. The successful buyer was on the phone and was underbid by an East Coast trade buyer on the phone. The earrings, which featured 98 full-cut diamonds that weighed a total of approximately 5.0 carats, each had one round sapphire cabochon eyes in platinum mounts and were marked with Pt950, French hallmarks and Van Cleef & Arpels marks. A more extensive sale review will follow in a future issue.