A 6.54 ct. fancy intense pink diamond ring from the collection of Evelyn H. Lauder sold for $8.59 million at the Dec. 5 Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York City.

That exceeds its $5 million estimate, and works out to $1.3 million a carat.

Six bidders competed for the internally flawless stone, whose pink color correlated with Lauder’s work on breast cancer awareness and research, said representatives from the auction house.

Evelyn Lauder’s 6.54 ct. fancy intense pink diamond ring (photos courtesy of Sotheby’s)

Another fancy colored Lauder gem, this time from the collection of Estée, also scored big numbers. A diamond pendant necklace from Van Cleef & Arpels, highlighted by a heart-shaped fancy intense 47.14 ct. diamond, achieved $2.5 million, significantly higher than its $1.5 million-$2 million estimate. Estée Lauder purchased the piece from the Duchess of Windsor in the 1970s.

Estée Lauder’s 47.14 ct. fancy intense yellow diamond and diamond necklace

The auctions of jewels from the collections of Estée Lauder and Evelyn H. Lauder took in $22.2 million, well above its original high estimate of $18 million. The net proceeds will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, founded by Evelyn Lauder in 1993.

The Dec. 5 auctions at Sotheby’s achieved $64.7 million, exceeding their pre-sale high estimate of $63.3 million, marking the highest-ever total for a day of jewelry sales at Sotheby’s New York.

JCK