Magnificent Jewels

Emerald and diamond necklace, Harry Winston, 1959

Fancy vivid yellow cushion-shaped diamond, 91.81 carats, VS2. $4,303,300

A cushion-shaped sapphire 118.88 carats $4,191,448

Octagonal step-cut emeralds, 13.56 and 12.91 carats. $3,967,745 Circular cabochon emerald drops of 27.52 and 25.91 carats. $1,083,565

A jadite, ruby and diamond 'Serpenti' watch/bracelet by Bvlgari, dial signed by Piaget. $340,549

50.48 carats, D colour, Internally Flawless, Type IIa. $7,882,559

Art deco ruby and diamond necklace. Circa 1930s. $544,279

A ruby and diamond bib necklace by Bvlgari. $340,549

Multi-gem 'Ballerina' brooch set with sapphires, rubies and diamonds. Van Cleef & Arpels, 1940s. $232,692

Multi-gem flower brooch by Cartier. $37,450

Marquise and baguette-cut diamond dragonfly with a cultured pearl head and circular-cut sapphire wings, Van Cleef & Arpels, circa 1965. $ 10,000

A fancy intense blue diamond ring set with a pear-shaped fancy intense blue diamond weighing 3.17 carats. Sold for $2,521,373 ($795,386 per carat)

A ruby, sapphire and diamond bar brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels. Set with an oval ruby weighing 6.02 carats, between two cushion-shaped sapphires of 10.44 and 13.44 carats. Sold for $2,521,373

A fancy brownish orange pink diamond ring set with a pear-shaped diamond of 10.58 carats. Sold for $2,162,600 ($204,405 per carat)

Pair of sapphire and diamond ear clips, JAR. US$584,002

Yowah Opal

Yowah is a small town in outback western Queensland, Australia. Yowah is located 938 kilometres west of Brisbane and 132 kilometres west of Cunnamulla. The 2006 census revealed a population of 142. The town is famous for its opal mining and numerous opal fields that lie around the town as well as the "Yowah Nut" a local type of opal distinctive to the region. The area was first leased in 1883 to perspective settlers and opal mining has been the main activity ever since.

The Yowah field is an occurrence of opal in siliceous ironstone nodules generally referred to as Yowah Nuts. These nuts have a spherical or ellipsoidal shape, and show alternate bands of light and dark-brown siliceous ironstone. There is sometimes a kernel of precious opal, which is the main source of the gem. The nuts are found in layers at depths up to 20m in a ferruginous sandstone, and are commonly associated with mudstone fragments or clay pellets.

Teen finds 7.44-carat diamond at Crater of Diamonds Park

Arkansas teenager Kalel Langford, 14, hit the jackpot in 2017 when he found a 7.44 carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. The teen had only been at the park with his parents for 30 minutes when he spotted a shiny, dark brown gem. The stone is the 7th-largest diamond found at the Arkansas State Park since 1972. Kalel found the diamond a few inches from a stream of water in the southern portion of the park’s diamond search area.

Crater of Diamonds State Park is a 911-acre Arkansas state park in Pike County, Arkansas. The park features a 37.5-acre plowed field, the world's only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public.

Cartier High Jewels

Bvlgari Serpenti Watches

Serpenti watch in gold with coral, emeralds and diamonds, c. 1965

One of Bvlgari's most ubiquitous and prominent design elements is from classical ancient Greek and Roman motifs such as the enternal snake as in Serpenti watches.

For Bvlgari, the snake has become a signature design theme.

In the 1940s, Bvlgari incorporated the snake motif into the design of some of their watches. The pieces were sculpted interpretations of the coiled serpent and became instantly popular. These flexible gold "snake bracelet-watches" were meant to be worn wrapped around the wrist with one end consisting of the serpent's head adorned with jewels and hiding the dial of the watch. In ancient Roman times, the image of the coiled snake symbolized immortality and was often used for good luck or to ward off ill-fortune.

A rare enamel and diamond wristwatch by Bvlgari from 1965 was sold at Christie’s in London in 2014 for $ 1.1m