The largest blue diamond in auction history will be sold in Hong Kong. The 15.10-carat Step Cut Cullinan De Beers Blue is valued at HK$380 million (over $48 million). Information about this is available on the website of the auction house Sotheby’s.
Previously, only five blue diamonds weighing over 10 carats and none weighing over 15 carats appeared at the auction.
The diamond was mined in 2021 in South Africa, in the Cullinan mine – this is one of the few mines in the world where blue diamonds are mined. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) experts have defined the color of the stone as “fantastic bright blue” (Fancy Vivid Blue) – this is the highest level in the color gradation of stones, which includes no more than 1% of blue diamonds entering the GIA.
According to Sergey Uvarov, Candidate of Art Criticism, columnist for Izvestia, rough and polished diamonds with rare characteristics are in high demand on the market today and their prices are only rising.
“The auction record for colored diamonds was set in 2017 with a hot pink diamond ring that fetched 553 million Hong Kong dollars (over $70 million at today’s exchange rate), but it was much larger at 59.60 carats. It is unlikely that this value will be surpassed at the April auction, although the novelty, in addition to color, has another trump card – step cutting. And she will certainly find her buyer – here we must talk about investment attractiveness. Therefore, we see that even stones of exceptional characteristics appear at world auctions with enviable regularity, ”said Uvarov.
On January 17, the largest black diamond “Enigma” weighing 555.55 carats was put up for auction. It is the largest cut diamond in auction history and one of the largest cut diamonds in the Gübelin and GIA registers. Listed in the Guinness Book of Records 2006.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
