By Rachael Taylor
The David Jerome Collection is simply stunning, and this is not a word I use lightly. The sheer scale of the collection, the incredible quality of the rare coloured gemstones, and the fact that all 700 have been collected by a single hobbyist, is quite overwhelming.
Within the collection, being sold through auctioneer John Pye, are more than 700 coloured gemstones, both loose and mounted in precious jewellery. Highlights of the auction include a 133.3ct “museum-quality” pear-shaped unmounted tanzanite, and a pair of earrings set with Zambian emeralds weighing a total of 35.05ct, looped by 5.54ct of white diamonds. Other intriguing rare gemstones include fine examples of Zultanite, aquamarine, rubellite, morganite, sapphire and ruby.
Of course, the question that instantly comes to mind is, who is David Jerome? While the name has been given to the collection, it is in fact a stage name, as the collector likes to refer to it, to help conceal his identity.
Despite his enormous collection of coloured gemstones, which have never before been offered for sale, Jerome, as we will call him, is not from the jewellery industry, though he does have quite a few friends with Bond Street addresses. Jerome made his fortune in industries worlds apart from gems, but has always had a passion for colour, and the moment he set eyes on tanzanite and its trichoric colour-changing properties, he was hooked.
“My father used to collect stones but I had no interest in them until I saw tanzanite – I needed to know where it was born,” he says. “I can’t just go to a wholesaler, I have to go to the mines. The last 20 years I’ve devoted every minute of my life to stones.”
Read about how tanzanites are the perfect investment
This retirement hobby has taken Jerome all around the world and has won him a reputation among jewellers and miners as a collector of the best of the best. As such, the David Jerome Collection is a marvel of some of the world’s top-quality stones, and the choice to sell it through John Pye, an auctioneer not known for big gem sales, could make for a very interesting auction day.
The gems will be available to view at John Pye’s new showroom at 5 Bond Street by private appointment from August, and the gems will be split into three online-only auctions, the first of which will take place in September. The estimates on this treasure trove of gems and jewels, which are all certified, start at less than £1,000 and are conservative, set by Jerome himself, and based on what he paid for the stones rather than an independent expert jewellery valuer.
Whether or not these low opening bids and unorthodox choice of auction house leads to bargains come auction day remains to be seen, but for gem lovers this is a jewellery auction worth keeping tabs on.
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This incredible 133.3ct pear-shaped unmounted tanzanite is one of the 700 coloured gemstones from the David Jerome Collection due to be auctioned this September.
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These rubellite, tanzanite, Zultanite and sapphire gemstones will feature in the David Jerome Collection by auctioneer John Pye this September.
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Aquamarine and diamond-set ring, which will feature in the David Jerome jewellery auction this September.
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This stunning Zambian emerald and diamond earring and ring set from the David Jerome Collection are due to be auctioned in September by John Pye in a series of online-only auctions.
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These earrings from the David Jerome Collection are set with Zambian emeralds weighing a total of 35.05ct, looped by 5.54ct of white diamonds.
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This rubellite and diamond-set ring is part of the David Jerome Collection, one of the world’s largest collection of coloured gemstones.
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This colourful selection of aquamarine, emerald, morganite and ruby gemstones are part of one of the world’s largest collections of coloured gemstones, due to be auctioned this September.
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This tanzanite and diamond-set pendant is part of the David Jerome Collection, one of the world’s largest collections of coloured gemstones, which is up for auction this September.
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This 62.30 carat tanzanite from the David Jerome Collection will be part of a series of online auctions held by John Pye auction house this September.
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Sparkling champagne-coloured Zultanite and diamond-set ring, part of the David Jerome Collection that will be auctioned off by John Pye in a series of online-only auctions this September.
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The David Jerome Collection of more than 700 coloured gemstones, both loose and mounted in precious jewellery, will be available to preview at John Pye’s showroom at 5 Bond Street by private appointment from August. The September auctions will be online only.
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This pear-shaped unmounted tanzanite, weighing 133.3ct, is one of the highlights of the upcoming David Jerome Collection, due to be auctioned in September by the John Pye auction house.
