Phillips New York Jewels sale tops $4.1 million, emerald necklace leads

A $541,800 emerald necklace did more than top Phillips’ New York Jewels sale. It showed exactly which emerald traits still pull serious money: Colombian origin, matched step-cut stones, substantial scale, and a platinum setting that lets the color do the talking.

The necklace, cataloged as Lot 40 from Property of an International Collection, was a platinum emerald-and-diamond design measuring about 15 inches long and set with 20 graduated step-cut Colombian emeralds. Phillips estimated it at $500,000 to $800,000, and it came with an AGL report stating that the emeralds were of Colombian origin with minor oil in fissures. For May-birthstone buyers, that combination is the benchmark: origin that carries cachet, a clean graduated layout, and enough visual continuity across the stones to make the whole jewel read as one considered composition rather than a scatter of matching parts.

The broader sale backed up that demand signal. Phillips said the June 10 auction totaled $4.1 million, with 95% of the 113 lots sold. The next strongest result was a 14.71-carat fancy-intense-yellow diamond ring at $258,000, followed by a Brazilian Paraiba tourmaline pendant necklace at $167,700, a 7.30-carat diamond ring at $154,800, and an 8.08-carat Colombian emerald ring that also brought $154,800. Jewelry by Harry Winston, Tiffany & Co. and Van Cleef & Arpels found buyers as well, underscoring how signed names and strong stones can still meet in the same room.

The sale also marked a clear step up from Phillips’ 2024 New York Jewels auction, which totaled $2,876,296 with 93 of 120 lots sold. Its 2025 New York Jewels sale brought $4,000,246, so this year’s result kept the category near its recent high-water mark. Phillips has positioned its Jewels auctions in New York and Hong Kong for an international clientele of collectors and connoisseurs, and the June sale, previewed on May 26, leaned on rare gemstones, important diamonds and signed jewels from Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co. and Van Cleef & Arpels.

For shoppers looking at far more accessible emerald birthstone pieces, the lesson is blunt: ask first about origin and treatment, then look hard at cut, matching and mounting. A credible emerald should not rely on vague language about “premium quality” alone. The stones themselves, especially when they are Colombian, well matched and set in a metal that flatters rather than overwhelms them, are what keep emerald jewelry at the top of the market.