In the midst of what seems like endless economic gloom and doom, Christie’s International Jewelry Department has announced a record breaking 1995. Total sales hit $540 million, a dramatic rise from the $380 million the previous year.

            Francois Curiel, the department’s director, attributed the dramatic rise in sales to four factors: the extremely high prices obtained for colored diamonds; strong support from buyers in the Middle East; the appearance of new collectors due to Christie’s expansion into areas such as Los Angeles and Singapore and a greater presence in Hong Kong; and the sale of Princess Salimah Aga Khan’s jewels.

            Indeed, the Princess Salimah Aga Khan sale, which included the exquisite “Begum Blue”, was by far the biggest event in the auction year with results far exceeding even the most optimistic estimates. Many lots in the sale doubled and tripled high estimates.

            Other big sales included December’s Important jewel sale which totaled over $6,170,924, becoming the third largest sale of jewelry ever held in London.