The Dunhuang Pipa Necklace with 100.02-Carat Yellow Diamond Could Fetch HK$40m at Auction

This autumn, Sotheby’s Hong Kong presents a meticulously curated sale featuring a rare selection of jewels and jadeite, including a rare 10.64 carat fancy vivid purplish pink diamond that estimated at HK$150m-200m (US$19m-25.5m). On top of that, the sale will also be highlighted by Anna Hu’s latest jewellery creations, titled Silk Road Music Collection. Leading the group is the Dunhuang pipa necklace with a 100.02-carat yellow diamond, which is expected to fetch HK$40m-50m (US$5.1m-6.38m)

The Dunhuang Pipa Necklace with a 100.02-carat fancy intense yellow diamond

Designed by Chinese haute joaillerie artist Anna Hu under Sotheby's special commission for a collaboration, the collection features five jewellery pieces inspired by the musical and cultural exchanges that took place in the Silk Road - an ancient trade route connecting the East and West dating back thousands of years.


Designed for modern-day women who appreciate intricate designs with a versatile twist, the Dunhuang pipa necklace is transformable into a brooch and an earring. Hu took inspiration from an imagery of a lady playing the pipa depicted on the Dunhuang murals.

The pipa can be detached from the necklace

The pipa can be used as a brooch and an earring

Anna Hu

Anna Hu is not only a talented contemporary jewellery artist but also an accomplished cellist. She grew up studying classical music and trained as a cellist at a very young age. Born in Taiwan to gemstone dealer parents, she fell in love with stones at just the same time when she started to play the cello. When severe injuries to her shoulder abruptly ended her blossoming musical career, she turned to her second love: jewellery. In 2008, Hu founded her namesake brand, Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie, opening her first boutique in New York.


Hu presented her first global exhibition at the Louvre’s Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris in July 2012 and celebrated the launch of her first book, Symphony of Jewels, op. 1, in the same year. One of the youngest jewellery artists invited to exhibit in La Biennale Paris, Hu was the first Asian female jeweller admitted into Comité de la Haute Joaillerie Paris, a prestigious recognition alongside famed French jewellery houses.


Anna Hu’s Silk Road Collection

The Dunhuang pipa necklace, designed and mounted by Anna Hu, set with a 100.02 carat fancy intense yellow diamond|estimate: HK$40,000,000 - 50,000,000

Jadeite, Diamond and Pink Sapphire Brooch, Cello|estimate: HK$2,200,000-2,800,000

Conch Pearl, Gem Set and Diamond Brooch, Blue Magpie|estimate: HK$1,500,000-1,800,000

Pair of Conch Pearl, Sapphire and Diamond Earrings, Ellington|estimate: HK$2,200,000-2,800,000

Ruby and Diamond Ring, Appassionata|estimate: HK$650,000-850,000


Along with Anna Hu’s Silk Road Music Collection, an 80.88 carat emerald cut diamond will be offered at the auction with an estimate of HK$78m-100m (US$10m-12.7m). It is one of the only five emerald cut diamonds exceeding 80 carats ever to have been offered at auction.

A 10.64 carat fancy vivid purplish pink diamond (left) and an 80.88 carat emerald cut diamond (right)

The diamond is D colour, displaying an exceptional transparency that typifies a Type IIa gem, which represent less than 2% of all diamonds mined. The exceptional size of the diamond was achieved as a result of precise polishing down to 0.01 carat, in order to preserve as much weight as possible whilst producing a flawless clarity.  


Top three lot

A 10.64 carat fancy vivid purplish pink internally flawless diamond and diamond ring
Estimate: HK$150,000,000 - 200,000,000

An 80.88 carat emerald cut diamond
Estimate: HK$78,000,000 - 100,000,000

A 11.88 carat ruby and diamond ring, mounted by Raymond Yard
Estimate: HK$44,000,000 - 64,000,000


Auction details

Auction house: Sotheby’s Hong Kong
Sale: Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite
Sale date: 7 October 2019|2:30pm

Preview:
3 October 2019|10:00am - 5:30pm
4-6 October 2019|10:00am - 8:00pm
7 October 2019|10:00am - 12:00pm