Fine jewelry, Signed jewels, Diamonds, Natural pearls

Edouard DE GARO

The department dedicated to jewels has been attributed to Edouard De Garo, expert born in a family of jewelers for 3 generations in Cannes. He started as a trainee in the biggest diamond dealer in Paris Place Vendôme called André Messika and travelled after to New York so as to obtain his certificate in gemology in the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). That’s what gave him a world class instruction. In the United States where he remained a few years, he worked as a brand manager for GUMUCHIAN, a house of fine jewelry. A few years ago, he decided to come back to Cannes to work with his family and rapidly integrated Besch Cannes Auction to handle the jewels’ department.

How do we carry out a jewel’s estimate ?

A jewel’s valuation starts with the visual estimate of each gemstone and the material used: we first consider the most important gemstone then the secondary stones. Then comes the time of the estimate of the color and clarity. If we focus on the diamond, its value is based on the 4C – Carat (Weight), Color, Cut and Clarity. Then we consider the esthetic side of the jewel (that is to say its frame, its potential signature, the work realized, if it is rare or exceptional…), which adds value to the object. The combination of all these elements allow us to give a final value to the jewel. For the most important gemstones, we appeal to specialized laboratories (such as Gubelin, GIA, HRD, Monaco Gem Lab): they establish certificates so as to guarantee the estimate realized. Each jewel is delicately cleaned before being auctioned. The expert’s tool box: a magnifying glass (10 times), a fluorescent lamp, a UV light, a scale, tweezers, jigs, a caliper, a spectrometer, a refractometer, a tester for diamonds and moissanite. A qualified and equipped expert!

The most sought-after jewels, gemstones and brands

Emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, natural pearls, mounted in necklaces, in Toi & Moi rings, solitaires, bracelets, earrings, brooches, cuff links, from Van Cleef & Arpels, René Boivin, Cartier, Lacoche frères, Suzanne Belperron, Sterlé, Bulgari, David Webb, Garrard, Mauboussin, Messika, Cartier, Chaumet, Marchak, Graff or anonymous : they are the flagships of a know-how that we highlight. Sometimes, some pieces deserve the organization of proper dedicated auctions, events that we are used to set up such as the auction of July 16, 2017 presenting the collection of jewels from Iran who belonged to Madam Homay F, born Asfar, descendant of Fath Ali Shah, second sovereign of the Qadjar dynasty (1786-1925).

Numismatics : medals and coins

We have generated a significant interest in this matter following the auction of a collection of royal mint that has achieved more than 2 million Euros.

Gold coins and bars

We regularly organize auctions for gold coins and bars publicly traded and coming from individuals or further to successions. Linked to the jewels ‘auctions or totally independent when the volume is high, we deal with all the legal and tax procedures on behalf of our clients.

Expert answers :

Diamonds : colors and clarity, how to know?

Colors and clarities of a diamond are fixed by the GIA following a rating scale based on letters and numbers. The rating scale for the colors ranges from D (exceptional color) to S-Z, when the scale for the clarity starts from F (flawless – without any inclusion), the rarest, then IF (Internally flawless) …

Which difference between « carat » and “karat”?

The carat (with a “c”) is a word used for diamonds (more generally for the gemstones) and corresponds to a unit of measure. 1 carat = 0,24 grams. Contrary to the karat (with a “k”) used for gold which corresponds to the level of clarity of the metal. 24K stands for 100% pure gold, 18K for 75% pure gold and 25% of an alloy that allows the metal to be brighter and easier to handle.