I have a Cashmere sappire that will sell for a minimum of $15,000. I
want  to sell it at auction. The two auction houses that have been
recommended are Skinner's in Bostom, which is having a pre-Christmas
auction, and the better known Sotheby's in NYC which has an auction in
April. Which will get me the highest bid?

Dear johnsapphire-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. I think
you will find this article from FORBES quite informative:

FORBES CONNOISSEUR?S GUIDE 
?Which Auction House Is Right For You?? 
http://www.forbes.com/2001/11/14/1114connguide.html

According to a 2001 report from Forbes, ?There are now three auction
houses, Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips de Pury & Luxembourg,
dominating the high end of the art market.?

The article goes on to say: ?Sotheby's and Christie's have built up
strengths in different fields. Sotheby's does well with American
furniture, for example, while Christie's is better known for European
furniture. For photography, sellers go to Sotheby's; if it's books and
manuscripts, then Christie's. Both claim jewelry as a strong suit.?

According to this source Christie's has been the world's leading
auction house by sales total every year since 1996, earning $2.3
billion in sales for 2000. Sotheby's, on the other hand, has a very
strong international reputation taking 20 of the top 25 single-owner
sales according to their spokesperson Matthew Weigman.

The article leaves us with this thought:

?Both Christie's and Sotheby's have modeled themselves increasingly
after private galleries in recent years as part of an attempt to give
individual customers more attention. That doesn't sit well with
dealers, of course, but, for consumers, more competition means not
only more choices but the likelihood of getting a better deal in the
end.?

I had some research dealings with Skinner Inc. recently and I found
Karen Keane to be not only a lovely and professional person to deal
with but she is also quite knowledgeable in her area of expertise.
Skinner is indeed is one of the nation's leading auction houses and
the only full-service auction house headquartered in New England
according to PBS.

Here are some of the most highly regarded auction houses in existence
today. You can read some brief descriptions courtesy of PBS?s ANTIQUES
ROADSHOW:

PBS ANTIQUES ROADSHOW
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html


Bonhams and Butterfields
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#bonhams

Christie's
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#christies

Doyle New York
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#doyle

Skinner
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#skinner

Sotheby's
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#sothebys

Boos Gallery
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#boos

DuMouchelles
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#dumouchelles

Northeast Auctions Swann Galleries
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#northeast

Weschler's & Son
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/series/houses.html#weschlers

Looking at the history of the company though (from their official web
site listed below), from what I can gather, it seems that the vast
majority of Skinner?s successes come from the sales of art rather than
jewelry. While I have not had any personal dealings with Sotheby?s or
Christies I think one would hard-pressed to find a better source for
?who?s who? in the auction house world than FORBES, not to mention the
fact that Sotheby?s has been in business since 1744.

I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

SKINNER INC.
http://www.skinnerinc.com/resources/a_execs.asp

CHRISTIES
http://www.christies.com/home_page/home_page.asp

SOTHEBY?S
http://search.sothebys.com/

PHILLIPS de PURY
http://www.phillipsdepury.com/home.asp?id=29&doc=61
(CAUTION: This home page contains images of nudity in art that some
may find offensive)

SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

Auction

Earnings

Top

Leading

Forbes

Christies

Skinner

Sotheby?s

---

Request for Answer Clarification by johnsapphire-ga on 06 Oct 2005 08:46 PDT

Thank you for your response. I have been puzzling over this dilemma
for some time and have worked with Karen at Skinner's. "Karen Keane
[is] a lovely and professional person to deal with," but that doesn't
help me determine which market (New England or New York), will be most
advantageous, and whether the time of year (Christmas or spring) will
significantly influence the price. I had hoped to get a more inside
track on this than just a good research on Google. Do you have access
to anyone at either auction house who can illuminate me?
Thank you,
John

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 06 Oct 2005 09:57 PDT

I don't have any personal connections at either Sotheby's or Christies
(as I mentioned in my research). What I offered however was much more
than my brief expeirence with Skinner's President and CEO Karen Keane,
but an opinion published by FORBES, one of the most respected finacial
publications in the United States. I guess I'm confused that you had
"hoped to get a more inside
track on this than just a good research on Google", considering that
that is, in large part, how we function here and that is essentially
the service we provide. Is there some other opinion I can try to round
up for you that might be more convincing?

regards;
tutuzdad-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 06 Oct 2005 10:03 PDT

I might also add that in order to get the latest statistics and
seasonal trends you might consider finding a professional broker to
represent you at an auction firm. Brokers generally know which firm
and what season is best for your purposes based on what you have for
sale, the market value and demand for such an items, etc. This type of
information is not readily available to everyone, which explains how
brokers often make a lucrative living.

tutuzdad-ga

I don't think I fully understood the way the research was conducted.
The researcher did fine, but perhaps this was not the right approach
for me to take in trying to determine the solution to my problem.

How could we tell you?  From the apparent value of your stone, which
means a lot of commission to the auction house, you could very well
ask them for results of previous auctions of jewelry and loose stones,
and maybe also for copies of newspaper reports of the auctions.

Johnsapphire-ga,
After reading Tutuzdad's well researched answer and your rating
comment, I think the difficulty is that you have asked for and
expected an answer that just cannot be given.  No one can say at which
auction in which city "the buyer" will be present who want your
sapphire  - or better, two bidders who really want it.

Obviously an auction that presents similarly valuable and equivalent
pieces will be more likely to draw the class of buyers that would find
your stone attractive.

You have mentioned a value.  Has the sapphire been appraised?  If so
(you don't have to answer any of these questions here), for what sort
of value:  replacement, insurance?  If that were the case, then that
value would be about what a buyer would be willing to pay.  At an
auction, a savvy buyer will be keeping in mind the commission and
taxes that will be added to the hammer price, significant additions,
and you will also be charged commission.
What I am saying is that an appraisal for insurance will give a value
that will be quite a bit above what a seller can expect to realize at
an auction.  The same is true, of course, when selling to a dealer who
will be reselling, since he must allow for his mark up to cover
expenses and a fair income when he sells for the appraised price.

These sites may be of interest to you:

http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/r-s-bk-prices.htm  

http://www.preciousgemstones.com/gfwinterpartone.html#sapphires

http://www.tucsonshowguide.com/stories/jan05/retail.cfm

http://www.kashmir-sapphires.com/What_s_it_worth_/what_s_it_worth_.html

I hope that you find this information helpful, but it is really no
reply to your quite specific question.  A commenter can speculate
about what might be useful (and sometimes be way off track), whereas
an "answer" must be directed at the specific question.

Regards, Myoarin

To myoarin-ga,
Thank you. Your advice is well taken and much appreciated. A Boston
broker offered me $15,000 for the stone; it is a rare Cashmere. What I
was trying to determine is which auction house usually attracts the
wealthiest biddersm which, in retrospect, is a naive question because
people interested in the stone will be likely to look at the
catalogues from both houses.
This was my first experience with Google Answers, and I understand
that I can not now change my rating. If I could, and for those reading
this, I would like to raise it to 4 stars for Tutuzdad.
Thanks for your contribution,
John

Thanks johnsapphire. It's the thought that counts.

tutuzdad-ga

Johnsapphire,
Thanks for your comment.  Nothing like an honest offer to set the value.  
I have been assuming that your sapphire is unset.  It now occurs to me
that if this is so, at an auction of jewelry it might not attract
appropriate attention since the bidders would be interested in items
that could be used or resold without further work.  It would get more
interest in an auction or market aimed at buyers of loose stones,
which may not be either Skinner's or Sotheby's (although they both
might try to convince you otherwise).
The place in America where the rocks are is the Diamond District in
NYC.  I have no idea how receptive dealers there are to private
sellers, but it could be interesting to try (and would be an
interesting experience).

http://www.47th-street.com/

Good luck, Myoarin