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Bonhams to auction phenomenal cat's eye

September 03, 2009
The highlight of Bonhams and Butterfields' Dec. 6 auction is this 47.8-carat cat's eye chrysoberyl set in a platinum mount and surrounded by 32 marquise-cut diamonds.

Los Angeles--International auctioneers Bonhams and Butterfields have got the cat's meow: an unusually large and sought-after cat's eye chrysoberyl ring that is the highlight of its winter "Natural History" auction.

The Dec. 6 sale in Los Angeles will feature a diverse group of high-quality and distinctive mineral specimens, exceptional fossils, gold nuggets, lapidary works of art and jewelry, including a selection of "phenomenal" gems.

The cat's eye chrysoberyl is one such gem falling into the latter category for its unusual optical characteristics. The stone on offer exhibits an effect called chatoyancy, produced by a special arrangement of internal inclusions lined up parallel to one another that reflect light when a source is shone upon them.

The stone's cabochon weighs an impressive 47.8 carats--many times greater than the typical 1 to 5 carats found commercially available on the market, Bonhams said in a media release. The gem is set in a platinum mount and surrounded by 32 marquise-cut diamonds. It is estimated to fetch between $120,000 and $140,000.

"The cat's eye stone is highly sought after by connoisseurs, gemstone and jewelry collectors," Natural History Co-Consulting Director Claudia Florian said in the release. "Interest in chrysoberyl jewelry, for both men and women, has grown exponentially in the past several years. The larger gemstones, such as the 47.8-carat example featured in the holiday auction, are extremely rare."

Also on offer in the Natural History sale is an immense 722-carat Brazilian kunzite. The unmounted stone, dubbed "The Holt Kunzite" after its present owners, is estimated between $35,000 and $45,000, and is deep pink, almost amethyst-like, in color.

Additional jewelry highlights include a large "gumdrop" ring featuring 36 carats of rubellite and kunzite (estimated between $5,000 and $7,000); a conch pearl ring set in a French platinum mount surrounded by brilliant-cut diamonds (estimated between $5,000 and $7,000); a star sapphire ring from Sri Lanka (estimated between $4,000 and $5,000), and an oval 7.44-carat paraiba tourmaline from Mozambique (estimated between $18,000 and $22,000).

A Los Angeles preview will take place from Dec. 4-6 prior to the sale.
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