USA: NEW YORK: SOTHEBY'S PREPARE FOR SPRING JEWELLERY AUCTION

English/Nat A 15-carat deep blue diamond, thought to be the largest of its kind ever to be sold at auction, and jewels from the Russian Imperial Court go under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York this week. Sotheby's expect the diamond to fetch around five (m) million U-S dollars. Both items are just a small sampling of the collectors' items up for sale at Sotheby's spring jewellery auction this Wednesday and Thursday. Sotheby's showroom in New York is busy this week as would-be shoppers gaze at the firm's spring jewellery collection set for auction this Wednesday and Thursday. Curators here have assembled what they say is a magnificent cache of diamond jewellery. Some of the items on sale have a rare and rich history. This necklace is actually an assemblage of diamonds taken from Russia's Imperial Court. Officials at Sotheby's say these precious jewels in the shape of flowers and bows were most likely made for a member of the Imperial Court. While Russia still holds a portion of the Imperial crown jewels, Sotheby's Vice Chairman John Block explained that much of the Romanovs' jewellery collection, including the diamonds in the necklace, were sold by the Soviet government after the revolution. SOUNDBITE: (English) "After the revolution, many of the jewels from the Russian nobility were taken by the government and made into different collections. And throughout the years sometimes they sold off those things." SUPER CAPTION: John Block, Vice Chairman, Sotheby's North and South America Also up for auction is this rare deep blue diamond weighing in at more than 15 carats. Sotheby's says it is the largest of its kind ever auctioned, and rank it alongside the legendary Hope diamond in terms of its importance. The last blue diamond offered by Sotheby's, a 20-carat giant, sold for more than nine (m) million U-S dollars. Auctioneers say they hope it will sell for around five (m) million U-S dollars. Not to be overlooked is this colourful diamond bracelet from Tiffany's. Block says the Moonlight Rose, as it is known, is a rare example of American jewellery from the Art Deco period of the 19-20's and thirties. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The concept of this bracelet, which is pictorial, of a rose blooming under the moonlight is something that is very poetic and unusual for a piece of American jewellery. Normally something like that would have been made in France and sold in France. And yet this was probably sold as a special order for an American at that period of time." SUPER CAPTION: John Block, Vice Chairman, Sotheby's North and South America Purple, pink, yellow and white diamonds are also included in the colourful collection on sale. Some of the collection has already been seen by the public during a spring tour of Europe and Asia. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9d958e578c21e6498908b98a9415327f Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork