It’s the biggest and most beneficial blue diamond to ever come to public sale.
And, it’s a latest discovery.
The De Beers Cullinan Blue diamond was mined in 2021 at South Africa’s Cullinan Mine, one of many few sources on the planet for very uncommon blue diamonds.
Sotheby’s Senior Vice President and Gross sales Director for Jewellery Frank Everett mentioned the jewel is exceptional on many ranges.
“It’s uncommon due to the dimensions. It’s over 15 carats. It’s a vivid blue. It’s internally flawless. And actually one of the uncommon features of it’s the reduce,” he mentioned. “It’s a step reduce, which actually requires an exceptionally even saturation of coloration to realize that lovely step reduce somewhat than an excellent reduce.”
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) graded the diamond a Fancy Vivid Blue – the best doable coloration grading in line with Sotheby’s, awarded to not more than 1% of blue diamonds submitted to the GIA.
The De Beers Cullinan Blue can be supplied in a single-lot public sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong this April and is estimated in extra of $48 million.
“That is the best estimate ever for a blue diamond at public sale, and that’s merely due to the dimensions,” Everett mentioned. “There’s by no means been one so massive.”
Blue diamonds at public sale have had an admirable observe document.
In 2014 the Mellon Blue Diamond, renamed ‘The Zoé Diamond’ at Sotheby’s New York, outdated for $32.6 million.
A 12 months later, in 2015, Sotheby’s Geneva offered ‘The Blue Moon of Josephine’, a 12.03 carat cushion-shaped Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond for $48.5 million.
It nonetheless holds the price-per-carat public sale document for any diamond or gemstone.
(Reuters)