At Phillips New York, a range of signature gems, Art Deco items, and diamond jewellery fared well, with the top-selling item fetching $571,500.
According to Phillips, the piece, a 1938 Art Deco Starfish brooch by French jewellery firm René Boivin, sold for somewhat more than its low estimate. It has a big cushion-shaped sapphire encircled by old-cut, circular-cut, and single-cut diamond-set rays, with circular-cut sapphires and blue enamel accents. The total value of the 141 pieces sold at the June 13 New York Jewels auction was $4.2 million.