The emerald and diamond “Beaumont Necklace” fetched nearly $3.6 million at Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale. The price, within estimates, was more than double the $1.1 million it achieved when it last appeared at auction in 1994. It was created in the 1930s for Hélène Beaumont (1894 – 1988), an American socialite and close friend of the Duchess of Windsor. It consists of a graduated row of 11 sugarloaf cabochon Colombian emeralds ranging in weight from 3.57 carats to 18.09 carats. The gemstones are combined with geometric diamonds in an Art Deco design, “placing this jewel among the very f ... (full story)