An astonishing set of jewels including a tiara worn at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II has fetched GBP 36.5 million at Christie’s.

Named ‘Majestic Jewels’, the auction featured the exceptional Bessborough Tiara by Chaumet – worn at the coronation of King George VI in 1937, and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 – that reached CHF 945,000 (GBP 842,000).

The breathtaking tiara was presented following the recent Coronation of King Charles III as part of ‘The Royal Splendour of the European Courts’ collection.

Another impressive 19th-century suite of diamond and natural pearl jewellery and sapphire diamond items from the House of Wuerttemberg were sold for over CHF 1 million (GBP 891,000).

Resulting with a total of 100 per cent sale by lot, the event featuring the largest private collection by famous contemporary designer Joel Arthur Rosenthal to ever go under the hammer, took place in the city of Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday, 17th May.

Joel Arthur Rosenthal, 80, most commonly known as JAR, is one of the most renowned contemporary jewellery designers of the 21st century.

The auction was led by a rare 13.07-carat Chaumet Ruby and Diamond Ring that sold for CHF 4.7 million (GBP 4.2 million).

It also featured a splendid selection of important gemstones including the impressive sapphire and diamond ring called ‘The Royal Blue’, and the spectacular unmounted diamond named ‘The Star of Egypt’.

The two luxury items reached CHF 3.3 million (GBP 2.9 million) and CHF 2.7 million (GBP 2.4 million), respectively.

Christie’s revealed that registrants from more than 29 countries took part in the sale, out of which 38 per cent from the Americas, 28 per cent from the Asia-Pacific region and 34 per cent from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Additionally, 11 lots were sold above USD 1 million (GBP 804,000), while 61 per cent of the items were sold above estimate.

Head of Jewellery, Geneva Max Fawcett said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “The Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva concludes two weeks of exceptional Luxury sales and reflects the demand for spectacular jewels and coloured gemstones, demonstrating the strength of the jewellery market amongst collectors around the world.

“The auction today showcased a significant array of important JAR jewels, spanning 40 years of creativity and we are delighted with the results, selling 100 percent by lot: Joel Arthur Rosenthal represents the very best that contemporary jewellery has to offer.”