The man dealing with treasures at the world’s premium auction house spills the beans on some famous sparkles

David Warren International Director ofJewellery, Christie’s

As the man in charge of organising auctions of exquisite diamonds, jewellery and artworks, David Warren is always on the lookout for treasures from private collections, estates and individuals. As a child, he would help out in his mother’s antique shop in Scotland. “I appreciated beautiful things even as a child and now, I see and handle some of the world’s most exquisite jewels every day,” he says. He tells us the stories behind the some of the famous baubles he has worked with.

» “I love the story behind the ruby ring from the sale of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewellery collection in 2011. Richard Burton was looking for the perfect ruby, and wrote in fluent French (not bad for the son of a Welsh miner) to Pierre Arpels of the jewellery house about it. Years later, they found the world’s perfect ruby, which was then set in a ring he presented to Elizabeth Taylor in her Christmas stocking. At first, she left the small package inside the sock, believing it to be a walnut. Burton had to make her look again and that’s when she picked up the ring.

» In the late 1980s, an elderly lady in Scotland would tell me she had gemstones of national importance. I didn’t really believe her. One day she invited me to lunch and showed me a light pink cushion-shaped diamond. I traced its history and found that it originally came from India in 1526 — it was the Agra Diamond, that Emperor Babur wore in his turban. It was later passed down among the Mughal emperors. In the late 19th century, the stone was smuggled out of India by an English officer and reached London. It was sold to an American railroad engineer Louis Winans, who built trains in Russia. He enjoyed collecting gemstones and this became one of his treasured pieces. The old lady was a relative of his and when he died, her sisters each received tin boxes with precious jewels inside. During World War II, she dug a hole in the ground and kept the box there for safety. Later, she moved it to a safe at the bank. When we finally sold the Agra, it made $ 7 million — a world record price for any coloured diamond in 1990.

» In November this year, Christie’s held an auction of the Orange diamond. It is the largest fancy vivid diamond (14.82 carats) ever offered at auction. It sold for $35,540,612 at Christie’s Geneva, setting a world record price for an orange diamond. I can’t disclose the name of the buyer but the stone is described as a ‘miracle of nature’. I don’t think I’ll ever see another like it in my lifetime.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Work / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau / by Jayanthi Madhukar / November 28th, 2013