Editor’s Note
This article details the record-breaking auction of the Aga Khan Emerald, highlighting its storied provenance and exquisite Cartier setting.
The Aga Khan Emerald has been sold at Christie’s in Geneva for $8,859,865, setting a new world record for the most expensive emerald ever sold at auction. Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan originally purchased the green gemstone for model Nina Dyer, to whom he was briefly married. In 1960, the prince had the 37-carat emerald set by Cartier into a brooch with 20 diamonds.
In 1969, Nina Dyer sold the stone at a Christie’s jewelry auction for $75,000. The previous record for the most valuable emerald was held by a Bulgari piece, a gift from actor Richard Burton to his colleague Elizabeth Taylor for their wedding. That diamond-set emerald sold at a New York auction for $6.5 million.
Francois Curiel, now Chairman of Christie’s Europe and a trainee at the auction house at the time of the 1969 sale, reflected on the gem’s journey:
The Aga Khan Emerald was the highlight of the ‘Magnificent Jewels’ auction, which raised a total of $54,700,053. The sale saw a 92% sell-through rate by lot, with 64% of lots selling above their high estimate. Bidders registered from 37 countries. Notable other sales included five unregistered Sassoon-Cartier Art Deco jewels for $7,764,620 and a 1935 Art Deco diamond necklace alone fetching $5,090,571.
Max Fawcett, Head of Jewellery Europe, commented on the auction’s success:
