(IDEX Online) - An antique 7.58-carat sapphire, described as the property of a royal family, sold for more than three times its low estimate at Christie's Paris.The royal blue cushion, brilliant/step cut Kashmir gem realized $1.03m (EUR 945,000). The estimate was $327,00 to $436,000 (EUR 300,000 to EUR 400,00).It was the lead item in the online Joaillerie Paris auction, which raised a total of $12.03m (EUR 11,027,801).It was graded by SSEF as being blue of a strong saturation with inclusions consistent with it having come form a remote part of the Himalayan mountains, and with no indications of heating. It was rated as 89.2/excellent by Gubelin.Christie's did not specify which royal family the sapphire belonged to. But another lot, a 29.60-carat fancy intense yellow diamond that sold for $577,000 (EUR 529,200) came from the family collection of Prince Barbu Alexandru ?~tirbey, who became prime minister of the Kingdom of Romania in 1927.Pic courtesy Christie's