Breaking Out the Big Guns

Large diamonds over 2 carats are hard to find and rare to come to auction. The jewellery auction to be held on the 20 September features two large diamond rings of less commonly seen shapes which makes them even more exciting to be offering at auction. 

The first is a heart shaped diamond ring. Before the 13^th century, hearts were used for decorative purposes only and it wasn’t until the 15^th century that they became synonymous with love. The earliest mention of heart shaped diamonds comes in the early 1400’s where it is mentioned in a letter from the Duke of Milan. Most famously, Mary Queen of Scots sent her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, a heart shaped diamond ring as a gesture of friendship and goodwill however we know how that relationship ended!

Lot 336 is a heart shaped diamond ring of approximately 2.55 carats. The solitaire is flanked by round brilliant cut diamonds to the shoulders and comes with an auction estimate of £7000 - £8000. Heart shaped diamonds are hard to find however this lot has the addition of the large carat weight making it even more special. 

The next item, lot 310, is an impressive princess cut diamond of approximately 5.03 carats. Princess cut diamonds are loved for their clean, geometric design and display a fascination play of colour when viewed in the correct lighting conditions. Lot 310 is one of the largest diamonds to be sold at McTear’s and comes with an estimate of £15000 - £20000. 

Click to view the full auction catalogue. >>

Amy Cameron

McTear’s sells more jewellery than any other traditional auction house in the dedicated jewellery auctions that take place twice monthly, run concurrently live online on a platform that attracts six million visitors annually from over 120 countries worldwide