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The Sotheby's auction for the Fancy Deep Blue Diamond ring,
purchased by Temple's father for $7,210 in 1940 around the time
of the actress' 12th birthday, opened bidding at $19 million and
closed at $22 million, which was below the ring's reserve price.
"The Shirley Temple Blue Diamond is an exceptional stone in
quality, rarity and provenance. It has been an honor to share
its story with collectors, connoisseurs and Temple's loyal fans
over the past few months," Sotheby's said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, tonight wasn't its night in the salesroom, but
we remain fully confident that it will find a buyer."
The ring was the highlight at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels sale,
which fetched nearly $30 million across more than 300 lots.
Other top items at the auction included a platinum and fancy
purple-pink diamond ring that sold for $4.5 million, a platinum
and diamond ring weighing 19.25 carats that fetched $1.9 million
and a fancy light blue diamond ring weighing 5.06 carats that
sold for $1.2 million.
Temple won legions of fans as a bouncy, curly-haired young
actress in 1930s movies such as "Bright Eyes," "Heidi" and
"Curly Top." Under her married name, Shirley Temple Black, she
forged a career as an ambassador and died at age 85 in 2014.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter
Cooney)
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