A rare 37-carat square emerald, once owned by the Aga Khan, sold for nearly $9 million at an auction in Geneva, making it the world’s most expensive green gemstone.
The emerald was part of a Cartier brooch, which can also be worn as a pendant. Sold by Christie’s, the piece surpassed a Bulgari emerald that Richard Burton gave Elizabeth Taylor as a wedding gift, claiming the title of the most valuable emerald in history.
In 1960, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan commissioned Cartier to set the emerald in a brooch adorned with 20 marquise-shaped diamonds, platinum, and 18k yellow gold. The brooch was made for British socialite Nina Dyer, whom he briefly married. Dyer later auctioned the emerald in 1969 to raise funds for animal welfare.
That auction occurred at Christie’s first sale in Switzerland, near Lake Geneva. The emerald returned to the same auction house for its 110th edition this year.
Jeweller Van Cleef and Arpels purchased the piece, then sold it to Harry Winston, the renowned “King of Diamonds.”
“Emeralds are in high demand right now, and this one ticks all the boxes,” said Max Fawcett, Head of Jewellery at Christie’s EMEA. “An emerald of this quality comes to market only once every five or six years.”
