RE:eyes on the prizeThe Stories Behind the Biggest Jewelry Sales of 2015 The auction worlds top jewels, fit for (and perhaps previously owned by) a queen. by James Tarmy t jstarmy December 18, 2015 6:19 PM CET fShare on FacebooktShare on Twitter h Don't Miss Out Follow Bloomberg On Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Recommended What It Means to Be Rich in Cities Across the Country little line above headline Humans Are Slamming Into Driverless Cars and Exposing a Key Flaw little line above headline Martin Shkreli is led in handcuffs from 26 Federal Plaza in New York U.S. on Thursday, Dec.17, 2015 in New York. Photographer: Louis Lanzano /Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Martin Shkreli*** Shkreli Resigns as Turing CEO After Arrest on Securities Fraud little line above headline a Gheit: Oil Will Hit $60, But It Will Hurt little line above headline fShare on Facebook tShare on Twitter h lShare on LinkedIn dShare on Reddit gShare on Google+ mE-mail Now is the time to own (and sell) colored gemstones. Blue sapphires, striking red rubies, and pink diamonds made up 9 of the top 10 jewels sold at auction in 2015. Pink diamonds, in fact, accounted for a solid half of those sales. The only clear diamond to make it on the list? A 100-carat, emerald-cut stone thats so large it looks unreal, the gemological equivalent of clown shoes. (Very, very expensive clown shoes.) Of course, its one thing to be a massive colored stone; its another to have an equally sparkling provenance. Check out the backstories of this years top 10 jewelry sales, which combined for a grand total of $214 million, below. 1. The Blue Moon of Josephine, 13.02 Carats The Blue Moon of Josephine diamond square before the information The Blue Moon of Josephine diamond Source: Sotheby's This headliner sold for $48,468,158 at Sothebys, reportedly to Joseph Lau, a Hong Kong billionaire who renamed it after his 7-year-old daughter, Josephine. The price Lau paid set a world record for any diamond of any color, and set another one for price per carat of any gemstone, ever. Now, what will he do for her 8th birthday? 2. Ruby and Diamond Ring by Cartier, 25.59 Carats A superb and extremely rare ruby ring square before the information A superb and extremely rare ruby ring Source: Sotheby's Sold for $30,335,698 at Sothebys. This massive ruby, set between shield-shaped diamonds weighing 2.47 and 2.70 carats, set a world auction record for ruby sales and was the first colored stone to sell for more than $1 million per carat at auction. The seller was listed simply as a lady. 3. The Sweet Josephine, 16.08 Carats The Sweet Josephine diamond ring square before the information The Sweet Josephine diamond ring Source: Christies Images Ltd. Sold for $28,523,925 at Christies. Remember the Hong Kong billionaire from No. 1 on this list? A few days earlier he also bought this ring, also for his 7-year-old daughter, and also named it after her. This girl is going to be the best-dressed kid on the playground, hands down. (Actually, probably best to keep those hands in her pockets.) 4. Emerald-Cut Diamond, 100.20 Carats A 100-carat diamond square before the information A 100-carat diamond Source: Sotheby's Sold for $22,090,000 at Sothebys. The next time someone oohs and ahs about your 2- or 3-carat diamond ring, keep things in perspective. Someone out there is carting around a perfect 100-carat ring. Presumably in a wheelbarrow. 5. The Crimson Flame, 15.04 Carats The Crimson Flame ruby square before the information The Crimson Flame ruby Source: Christies Images Ltd. Sold for $18,372,913 at Christies. The auction catalog notes that this color is poetically referred to as pigeon blood red, which goes to show that poets can own jewelry, but not all jewelry owners can be poets. 6. The Historic Pink, 8.72 Carats The Historic Pink diamond square before the information The Historic Pink diamond Source: Sotheby's Sold for $15,903,422 at Sothebys, this stone is believed to have been part of the collection of Princess Mathilde de Bonaparte, Napoleon Is niece; part of the murky provenance presumably has to do with the fact that it was kept in a bank vault since the 1940s. 7. Purple-Pink Diamond Ring, 8.24 Carats A fancy vivid purple-pink diamond ring square before the information A fancy vivid purple-pink diamond ring Source: Sotheby's Sold for $13,866,553 at Sothebys. Set between two pear-shaped diamond shoulders, the ring was the second-most expensive lot of Sothebys November Magnificent and Noble Jewels sale in Geneva. 8. Ruby and Diamond Latticework Necklace, 120.74 Carats A ruby and diamond necklace square before the information A ruby and diamond necklace Source: Christies Images Ltd. Sold for $13,006,656 at Christies. The necklace has 48 rubies for a total of 120.74 carats; each stone was found in the famous ruby mines in Burma (Myanmar). The necklace was made by Etcetera, a Hong Kong-based jeweler founded by Edmond Chin, who ran Christies Hong Kong jewelry department for five years. 9. Colored Diamond Ring, 9.07 Carats A rectangular-cut colored diamond ring, mounted by Harry Winston square before the information A rectangular-cut colored diamond ring, mounted by Harry Winston Source: Christies Images Ltd. Sold for $12,643,776 at Christies. Flanked by triangular-shaped diamonds, this fancy intense pink diamond was mounted by Harry Winston and is merited a type IIa, the Gemological Institute of Americas designation for the most chemically pure diamonds in the world. 10. Rectangular-Cut Colored Diamond Ring, 5.18 carats A rectangular cut colored diamond ring square before the information A rectangular cut colored diamond ring Source: Christies Images Ltd. Sold for $10,709,443 at Christies. The colored diamond, mounted in gold, is surrounded by oval diamonds that weigh between .59 and .50 carats. Theyre each internally flawless; mere mortals would (most likely) be perfectly happy with one on its own.