Bonhams New York sale spotlights Glorya Kaufman yellow diamond, signed jewels

The 32.20-carat fancy intense yellow diamond ring from Glorya Kaufman’s collection was the kind of marquee stone that pulls eyes across a room, but at Bonhams’ New York sale, it was only the opening move. Set in 18k white gold with a cushion-shaped, VS2 yellow diamond and carrying a presale estimate of $350,000 to $550,000, the ring sold for $470,400 including premium, enough to validate the appetite for vivid color without making it the day’s strongest result.

That honor belonged to the sale’s broader mix of jewelry from recognizable houses. Bonhams’ Exceptional Jewels, New York auction, held June 8 at the firm’s newly opened headquarters in Steinway Hall at 111 West 57th Street, was built around more than 150 lots and leaned hard into signed pieces from Harry Winston, Chaumet, Bulgari, Graff, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Oscar Heyman, Taffin and J.E. Caldwell. For collectors, that roster matters as much as carat weight: a signature turns a jewel into a documented design object, with period style, atelier quality and provenance all working in the lot’s favor.

The sale’s final tally showed that the market still rewards that combination. Bonhams reported 153 lots in the auction, with a total of $9,476,620, 78 percent sold by lot and 98 percent sold by value. The top lot was a ruby and diamond necklace that brought $2,178,000, more than 20 times its $100,000 to $150,000 estimate, while an unmounted Paraíba-type tourmaline sold for $1,452,000, more than nine times its $150,000 to $250,000 estimate. Those results made clear that, beyond signed gold and platinum, vivid color remained the engine of the room.

Kaufman’s name added another layer of appeal. A major arts patron, she made landmark gifts to UCLA, Juilliard and the University of Southern California, including the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, which she endowed and which USC says became a top international dance program. She died on Aug. 5, 2025. In a sale like this, that kind of estate association does more than decorate a catalogue entry. It gives the jewels cultural weight, and at Bonhams, the message was unmistakable: headline diamonds draw attention, but signed names and distinguished collections are what give a vintage sale its staying power.