PARIS, Oct 27, 2001/ --- Hopes of reaching a million dollars from the sale of the dazzling choker Nicole Kidman wore in 'Moulin Rouge' came to nothing, when the owner withdrew the necklace from a Christie’s fine jewelry auction.

The auction house had put an estimate of between $750,000 and $1 million on the choker, named Satine, after the character Kidman played in the hit film.

The necklace was one of one of 400 pieces in Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction, in the auction house’s Rockefeller Center headquarters. "However, a last minute phone call from Satine’s owner meant that the lot was withdrawn before the auction began," according to a Christie’s spokeswoman.

Designed by 34-year-old Australian jewelry designer Stefano Canturi, the necklace, composed of over 1,300 diamonds in an openwork garland design, was the star object of the sale.

Economic downturn or not, Christie’s announced that 64 percent of lots had been sold, for a total sale of $19 million.

"The sale produced strong and solid results at all levels of the market," said Simon Teakle, Head of Jewelry for Christie’s Americas. "The 74.79 carat diamond, which sold for $57,441 per carat, confirmed buyers’ confidence in the diamond market. Museum-quality objects such as ÔLa Bretonne by Henri Vever and the Art Deco “Chimera” mystery clock by Cartier realized superb prices, and period jewels, which are increasingly more difficult to find, illustrate that rarity and quality will always be in tremendous demand."

That 74.79 carat diamond set in a pear-shaped diamond pendant necklace sold for $4.29 million. The Satine, however, will have to wait for another day.