An antique women’s pendant from luxury jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. exceeded expectations and blew bidders out of the water by selling for nearly twice the estimated price. Held May 8 in New York City, it’s safe to say that this year’s historic Joseph DuMouchelle Fine Jewelry Auction was a great success.


The platinum and gold heart-shaped pendant that dates back to around 1895 features a central 15.06 old mine cut diamond that the Gemological Institute of America deemed a natural fancy yellow. Originally estimated to bring in between $125,000 and $175,000, bidding for the stunning sparkler opened at $150,000 and quickly escalated as potential buyers competed for the piece online, by phone and on the auction floor.


The winning bid claimed the pendant for $348,000; however that comes as no surprise, considering the history and culture behind the piece. Attached to a seed pearl necklace, it was once owned by Helena de Kay, a talented painter and wife of the American poet and editor Richard Watson Gilder in the late 1800s. Since then, it has been featured in two extended Tiffany’s exhibitions, one of which was held at New York’s American Museum of Natural History.