African Diamonds
See also : Jewels White diamond Blue diamond Pink diamond
Chronology : 1912 1990-1999 2000-2009 2010 to now
Chronology : 1912 1990-1999 2000-2009 2010 to now
1912 Serti Muguet by Cartier
2014 SOLD for CHF 16M including premium by Christie's
PRE 2019 SALE DISCUSSION
At the turn of the 20th century, Paris is the capital of luxury. Located in rue de la Paix, the Cartier brand develops its expertise in jewelry and watchmaking and organizes a network of subcontractors including Henri Picq. One of its main innovations is the use of platinum for the high end.
France does not produce diamonds. The Cartier brothers visit India. The Maharajas choose the most beautiful gems in their collections for Cartier to assemble magnificent jewels matching their taste. This practice inspires some exotic designs later offered to all customers.
This well managed international reputation includes Southern Africa. Solomon Barnato Joel, who made a fortune with his family in the gold and diamond mines, ships four beautiful diamonds for making a jewel.
Cartier assembles a brooch in platinum and white gold for use as a devant de corsage, whose 9.2 cm high pendant aligns the four diamonds. The pendant is surrounded by four hanging sprigs of lily of the valley whose flowers are small diamonds set on platinum, a specialty of Picq. This jewel dated 1912 was later expanded by a necklace with a similar 'serti muguet'.
The four main diamonds were certified by the GIA in 2013. The largest is a pear-shaped of 34.08 carats in E color. The best is an oval-shaped type IIa D color of 23.55 carats with a VVS2 clarity potentially Internally Flawless.
This brooch was sold for CHF 16M including premium by Christie's on May 14, 2014 over a lower estimate of CHF 6.5M. It is estimated $ 10M for sale by Christie's in New York on June 19, lot 277.
At the turn of the 20th century, Paris is the capital of luxury. Located in rue de la Paix, the Cartier brand develops its expertise in jewelry and watchmaking and organizes a network of subcontractors including Henri Picq. One of its main innovations is the use of platinum for the high end.
France does not produce diamonds. The Cartier brothers visit India. The Maharajas choose the most beautiful gems in their collections for Cartier to assemble magnificent jewels matching their taste. This practice inspires some exotic designs later offered to all customers.
This well managed international reputation includes Southern Africa. Solomon Barnato Joel, who made a fortune with his family in the gold and diamond mines, ships four beautiful diamonds for making a jewel.
Cartier assembles a brooch in platinum and white gold for use as a devant de corsage, whose 9.2 cm high pendant aligns the four diamonds. The pendant is surrounded by four hanging sprigs of lily of the valley whose flowers are small diamonds set on platinum, a specialty of Picq. This jewel dated 1912 was later expanded by a necklace with a similar 'serti muguet'.
The four main diamonds were certified by the GIA in 2013. The largest is a pear-shaped of 34.08 carats in E color. The best is an oval-shaped type IIa D color of 23.55 carats with a VVS2 clarity potentially Internally Flawless.
This brooch was sold for CHF 16M including premium by Christie's on May 14, 2014 over a lower estimate of CHF 6.5M. It is estimated $ 10M for sale by Christie's in New York on June 19, lot 277.
A Blue Diamond for Oppenheimer
2016 SOLD for CHF 57M including premium
Throughout the twentieth century the De Beers cartel managed to control the diamond trade, accumulating an immeasurable wealth. The trust becomes a family business when a former buyer of diamonds of German origin named Ernest Oppenheimer becomes chairman of the company in 1929.
London is a hub for international operations and price controls. Sir Philip Oppenheimer retired in 1993 after 45 years as head of the Central Selling Organization of the cartel. This powerful position enabled him to keep exceptional gems.
On May 18 in Geneva, Christie's sells the Oppenheimer Blue that had belonged to Sir Philip. Weighing 14.62 carats, it is the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction. It is estimated CHF 38M, lot 242. It has been set on a ring by Verdura.
The clarity of the Oppenheimer Blue is excellent, graded VVS1 by the GIA. However, it does not reach the absolute purity of the Blue Moon, cushion cut to 12.03 carats, sold for CHF 49M including premium by Sotheby's on November 11, 2015, whose stunning clarity generates a phosphorescence effect under ultraviolet radiation.
The exceptional saturation characterizing the fancy vivid blue hue is enhanced on the Oppenheimer Blue by a highly efficient rectangular cut.
I invite you to admire this masterpiece of jewelry in the video shared by Christie's :
London is a hub for international operations and price controls. Sir Philip Oppenheimer retired in 1993 after 45 years as head of the Central Selling Organization of the cartel. This powerful position enabled him to keep exceptional gems.
On May 18 in Geneva, Christie's sells the Oppenheimer Blue that had belonged to Sir Philip. Weighing 14.62 carats, it is the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction. It is estimated CHF 38M, lot 242. It has been set on a ring by Verdura.
The clarity of the Oppenheimer Blue is excellent, graded VVS1 by the GIA. However, it does not reach the absolute purity of the Blue Moon, cushion cut to 12.03 carats, sold for CHF 49M including premium by Sotheby's on November 11, 2015, whose stunning clarity generates a phosphorescence effect under ultraviolet radiation.
The exceptional saturation characterizing the fancy vivid blue hue is enhanced on the Oppenheimer Blue by a highly efficient rectangular cut.
I invite you to admire this masterpiece of jewelry in the video shared by Christie's :
Rectangular Pink Diamonds
2018 SOLD for CHF 50M including premium
On November 13 in Geneva, Christie's sells the Pink Legacy, lot 311 estimated CHF 30M. This pink diamond Type IIa weighs 18.96 carats in a Fancy Vivid saturation without trace of secondary color and in VS1 clarity. Shaped in rectangle with cut corners, it is mounted on a ring. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Very little information has been revealed about its provenance. Its stone had been mined in South Africa and the jewel belonged to the Oppenheimer family. Although it cannot compete with the Pink Star, 59.60 carats Fancy Vivid Pink Internally Flawless, it is one of the best diamonds in its class.
Fancy Vivid is the high end of saturation, better than Fancy Intense, and big diamonds are rare in this shade. Above all, each diamond is different for a jeweler. The shape is chosen according to the homogeneity of the color. The rectangle offers the best brilliance. It is often used for white diamonds but big pink diamonds capable to maintain their full brightness in that shape are very rare.
Here are some examples of rectangular pink diamonds. The results include the premium.
In Fancy Vivid Pink saturation, a diamond weighing 5.18 carats whose clarity was only VS2 was sold for CHF 10M by Christie's on May 13, 2015. Considering that the price per carat increases with the weight, this result approaching CHF 2M per carat confirms that the diamond that is now on sale is an exceptional piece.
In Fancy Intense Pink saturation, big rectangular diamonds are actually less rare. The Perfect Pink weighing 14.23 carats with an excellent clarity VVS2 was sold for HK $ 180M by Christie's on November 29, 2010. With the same clarity, a diamond weighing 24.78 carats was sold for CHF 45.4M by Sotheby's on November 16, 2010. With an even better clarity graded VVS1, a diamond weighing 17.07 carats was sold for CHF 21M by Sotheby's on December 16, 2016.
Very little information has been revealed about its provenance. Its stone had been mined in South Africa and the jewel belonged to the Oppenheimer family. Although it cannot compete with the Pink Star, 59.60 carats Fancy Vivid Pink Internally Flawless, it is one of the best diamonds in its class.
Fancy Vivid is the high end of saturation, better than Fancy Intense, and big diamonds are rare in this shade. Above all, each diamond is different for a jeweler. The shape is chosen according to the homogeneity of the color. The rectangle offers the best brilliance. It is often used for white diamonds but big pink diamonds capable to maintain their full brightness in that shape are very rare.
Here are some examples of rectangular pink diamonds. The results include the premium.
In Fancy Vivid Pink saturation, a diamond weighing 5.18 carats whose clarity was only VS2 was sold for CHF 10M by Christie's on May 13, 2015. Considering that the price per carat increases with the weight, this result approaching CHF 2M per carat confirms that the diamond that is now on sale is an exceptional piece.
In Fancy Intense Pink saturation, big rectangular diamonds are actually less rare. The Perfect Pink weighing 14.23 carats with an excellent clarity VVS2 was sold for HK $ 180M by Christie's on November 29, 2010. With the same clarity, a diamond weighing 24.78 carats was sold for CHF 45.4M by Sotheby's on November 16, 2010. With an even better clarity graded VVS1, a diamond weighing 17.07 carats was sold for CHF 21M by Sotheby's on December 16, 2016.
The 19-carat 'Pink Legacy' ring—the largest and finest fancy vivid pink diamond ever offered at auction by @ChristiesInc—is expected to draw at least $30 million: https://t.co/RO4LdZHUv1 pic.twitter.com/Ce4MKJ3CLb
— ForbesLife (@ForbesLife) October 18, 2018
1999 A Fistful of Blue Diamonds
2016 SOLD for HK$ 250M including premium
De Beers exhibited their finest diamonds at the Millennium Dome in London throughout the year 2000. The Millennium Star is an astonishing white diamond weighing 203.04 carats. Facing it in the cabinet, eleven blue diamonds are totaling 118 carats. All these wonders had been extracted from the Cullinan mine.
One of these blue diamonds was oval cut. Weighing 10.10 carats, it is not the largest of the eleven but it is indeed the most spectacular. It was certified Fancy Vivid Blue Flawless in 1999 by GIA with the designation De Beers Millennium Jewel 4. Mounted on a ring in a surrounding of small white diamonds, it is estimated HK $ 235M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 5, lot 1843.
This unprecedented treasure insured altogether for £ 350M excited high appetites during the show at the Dome. On November 7, 2000, a commando of four equipped with a ten ton earth digger, sledgehammers, smoke bombs, gas masks and bulletproof vests come into the Dome, ready to celebrate the new millennium with the biggest heist ever.
The gang was under surveillance and 200 police officers had been mobilized. The head of the counter operation had decided to let the robbers go up to the showcase window for security reasons because arrests are easier in a closed room.
I invite you to watch the short video shared by Sotheby's to announce the sale of Jewel 4.
One of these blue diamonds was oval cut. Weighing 10.10 carats, it is not the largest of the eleven but it is indeed the most spectacular. It was certified Fancy Vivid Blue Flawless in 1999 by GIA with the designation De Beers Millennium Jewel 4. Mounted on a ring in a surrounding of small white diamonds, it is estimated HK $ 235M for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 5, lot 1843.
This unprecedented treasure insured altogether for £ 350M excited high appetites during the show at the Dome. On November 7, 2000, a commando of four equipped with a ten ton earth digger, sledgehammers, smoke bombs, gas masks and bulletproof vests come into the Dome, ready to celebrate the new millennium with the biggest heist ever.
The gang was under surveillance and 200 police officers had been mobilized. The head of the counter operation had decided to let the robbers go up to the showcase window for security reasons because arrests are easier in a closed room.
I invite you to watch the short video shared by Sotheby's to announce the sale of Jewel 4.
2003 The Pink Star
2013 recorded 76 MCHF including premium, UNPAID
2017 SOLD for HK$ 550M including premium
The Pink Star is unquestionably and by far the greatest polished diamond that ever hit the auction market. It should have fetched CHF 76M including premium at Sotheby's on November 13, 2013 but the buyer was unable to pay and its sale was cancelled.
Its come back was eagerly awaited by all the fans of highest jewelry and of auction history. It will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 4, lot 1801. It is estimated in excess of HK$ 468M currently worth US$ 60M, according to the press release of March 20.
The essay below is based on my 2013 discussion :
Its subtle color, Fancy Vivid Pink, is the best graded among diamond colors. Internally Flawless means a perfect clarity. Its weight, 59.60 carats, is the highest recorded for finished flawless diamonds of that color. Its oval shape and its polish are the perfect result of two years of work executed by Steinmetz Diamonds.
It comes from a rough gem of 142.5 carats unearthed in 1999 by De Beers somewhere in Africa, which is currently the best location for new fabulous diamonds. Its mixed cut had required more than 50 subsequent models from epoxy casts. It was unveiled to the public in 2003.
It exceeds in all its features the Graff Pink, sold for CHF 45.4 million including premium by Sotheby's on 16 November 2010, which had 24.78 carats, a VVS2 clarity and a fancy intense pink color slightly lower in theory than the fancy vivid but indeed highly striking in this specimen.
The Pink Star is expected beyond US $ 60M, a suitable and even conservative estimate when we consider that it is "only" US$ 1M per carat, but nevertheless ambitious because no other gem has ever reached such a price at auction. (Note that this expected value has been kept unchanged before the 2017 sale).
Please watch the videos shared by Sotheby's : the 2013 pre sale video and the short video introducing the next auction :
Its come back was eagerly awaited by all the fans of highest jewelry and of auction history. It will be sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 4, lot 1801. It is estimated in excess of HK$ 468M currently worth US$ 60M, according to the press release of March 20.
The essay below is based on my 2013 discussion :
Its subtle color, Fancy Vivid Pink, is the best graded among diamond colors. Internally Flawless means a perfect clarity. Its weight, 59.60 carats, is the highest recorded for finished flawless diamonds of that color. Its oval shape and its polish are the perfect result of two years of work executed by Steinmetz Diamonds.
It comes from a rough gem of 142.5 carats unearthed in 1999 by De Beers somewhere in Africa, which is currently the best location for new fabulous diamonds. Its mixed cut had required more than 50 subsequent models from epoxy casts. It was unveiled to the public in 2003.
It exceeds in all its features the Graff Pink, sold for CHF 45.4 million including premium by Sotheby's on 16 November 2010, which had 24.78 carats, a VVS2 clarity and a fancy intense pink color slightly lower in theory than the fancy vivid but indeed highly striking in this specimen.
The Pink Star is expected beyond US $ 60M, a suitable and even conservative estimate when we consider that it is "only" US$ 1M per carat, but nevertheless ambitious because no other gem has ever reached such a price at auction. (Note that this expected value has been kept unchanged before the 2017 sale).
Please watch the videos shared by Sotheby's : the 2013 pre sale video and the short video introducing the next auction :
Sotheby’s Brings ‘Pink Star’ Diamond to Hong Kong https://t.co/D5Lo7D6NIX pic.twitter.com/yk5ph7cUhn
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) March 20, 2017
WATCH: World's most valuable cut diamond, the 59.60-carat "Pink Star," could fetch a record $60 million at auction: https://t.co/JsYfyHq5H8 pic.twitter.com/mLNLyhUhBY
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 20, 2017
2011 - 118 Carats Flawless
2013 SOLD 240 MHK$ including premium
Southern Africa has replaced Golconda as the source for the best diamonds in the world, type IIa. The arrival on the market of exceptional pieces of very recent extraction certainly demonstrates improvements in the techniques of prospecting, but also in the preparation of perfect diamonds.
On May 15, 2013, Christie's sold for CHF 26M including premium a white diamond, D color and Flawless. Pear shaped and weighing 101.73 carats, it came from a rough stone of 236 carats of the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. It was named The Winston Legacy after the sale.
The diamond for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 7 is also D and Flawless, but bigger: 118.28 carats. Here is the link to the catalog.
It is oval cut from a 299 carat rough stone discovered in 2011 in a deep mine of southern Africa whose detailed location is not revealed. Its polishing and symmetry are considered excellent by the gemological laboratories.
The press release announces a lower estimate of HK$ 220M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, HK$ 240M including premium, is extraordinary but in line with the expectation.
On May 15, 2013, Christie's sold for CHF 26M including premium a white diamond, D color and Flawless. Pear shaped and weighing 101.73 carats, it came from a rough stone of 236 carats of the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. It was named The Winston Legacy after the sale.
The diamond for sale by Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 7 is also D and Flawless, but bigger: 118.28 carats. Here is the link to the catalog.
It is oval cut from a 299 carat rough stone discovered in 2011 in a deep mine of southern Africa whose detailed location is not revealed. Its polishing and symmetry are considered excellent by the gemological laboratories.
The press release announces a lower estimate of HK$ 220M.
POST SALE COMMENT
The price, HK$ 240M including premium, is extraordinary but in line with the expectation.
2010s The Great Star of Botswana
2013 SOLD 26 MCHF including premium
Since the depletion of Golconda, the best pure diamonds of IIa type are extracted in Austral Africa: South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana.
Botswana's mines are operated jointly by the government and by De Beers, with all the precautions that you can imagine. Indeed the small town of Jwaneng was founded in 1982 as a closed community only accessible by permission of the government.
Because of this relatively recent operation, fabulous gems are still waiting to be discovered. The modern art of diamond will do the rest, as technological advances now enable to cut diamonds of perfect shape and symmetry.
Consider an example from the past. The Cullinan, extracted in Transvaal in 1905, was a gem of 3106 carats. Nine major diamonds were cut from it, including the Great Star of Africa achieved at 530.2 carats after eight months of preparation.
On May 15 in Geneva, Christie's sells a perfect diamond (type IIa, D color, flawless). It is pear shaped at 101.73 carats representing an outstanding yield for that rough stone of 236 carats extracted in Jwaneng. Its polishing required 21 months of work.
The price per carat increases for bigger diamonds. Thus, the Archduke Joseph, sold by Christie's in Geneva on November 13, 2012, was recorded at $ 280K per carat (total price CHF 20.3 million including premium for 76.02 carats).
The new wonder from Jwaneng is the biggest perfect diamond ever presented at auction. Although having no other history than its discovery and preparation, it may certainly exceed the Archduke Joseph.
POST SALE COMMENT
This exceptional diamond has been sold CHF 26M including premium. The price per carat, U.S. $ 270K, is consistent with the price obtained on the Archduke Joseph.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's:
Botswana's mines are operated jointly by the government and by De Beers, with all the precautions that you can imagine. Indeed the small town of Jwaneng was founded in 1982 as a closed community only accessible by permission of the government.
Because of this relatively recent operation, fabulous gems are still waiting to be discovered. The modern art of diamond will do the rest, as technological advances now enable to cut diamonds of perfect shape and symmetry.
Consider an example from the past. The Cullinan, extracted in Transvaal in 1905, was a gem of 3106 carats. Nine major diamonds were cut from it, including the Great Star of Africa achieved at 530.2 carats after eight months of preparation.
On May 15 in Geneva, Christie's sells a perfect diamond (type IIa, D color, flawless). It is pear shaped at 101.73 carats representing an outstanding yield for that rough stone of 236 carats extracted in Jwaneng. Its polishing required 21 months of work.
The price per carat increases for bigger diamonds. Thus, the Archduke Joseph, sold by Christie's in Geneva on November 13, 2012, was recorded at $ 280K per carat (total price CHF 20.3 million including premium for 76.02 carats).
The new wonder from Jwaneng is the biggest perfect diamond ever presented at auction. Although having no other history than its discovery and preparation, it may certainly exceed the Archduke Joseph.
POST SALE COMMENT
This exceptional diamond has been sold CHF 26M including premium. The price per carat, U.S. $ 270K, is consistent with the price obtained on the Archduke Joseph.
I invite you to play the video shared by Christie's:
2014 In a Blue Moon
2015 SOLD for CHF 49M including premium
The ground continues to unearth important diamonds. Yet, the discovery announced by Petra Diamonds in January 2014 of a 29.62 carat blue gem from the much famous Cullinan mine in South Africa aroused a particular interest in the diamond community.
The new diamond is fancy vivid blue without inclusion, which is already a great rarity. It was purchased by Cora International, headquartered in New York, which processed it. This fancy vivid blue cut to 12.03 carats is the largest internally flawless blue diamond in cushion shape.
Once completed, it revealed even more exceptional qualities. Its ocean blue color is perfect without a secondary hue. It has no fluorescence. An exposure to ultraviolet radiation generates an intense orange-red phosphorescence that persists for about twenty seconds, a sensational feature which is known only to a few blue diamonds of absolute purity.
It is a masterpiece in both its size and features. It was named The Blue Moon in reference both to its shape and to the saying 'Once in a blue moon' that means a total rarity. It seems inconceivable to find better in its class, especially since the production of the Cullinan mine tends to decrease.
The Blue Moon is estimated between $ 35M (CHF 34,2M) and $ 55M (CHF 53,7M), for sale by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 11, lot 513. I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The new diamond is fancy vivid blue without inclusion, which is already a great rarity. It was purchased by Cora International, headquartered in New York, which processed it. This fancy vivid blue cut to 12.03 carats is the largest internally flawless blue diamond in cushion shape.
Once completed, it revealed even more exceptional qualities. Its ocean blue color is perfect without a secondary hue. It has no fluorescence. An exposure to ultraviolet radiation generates an intense orange-red phosphorescence that persists for about twenty seconds, a sensational feature which is known only to a few blue diamonds of absolute purity.
It is a masterpiece in both its size and features. It was named The Blue Moon in reference both to its shape and to the saying 'Once in a blue moon' that means a total rarity. It seems inconceivable to find better in its class, especially since the production of the Cullinan mine tends to decrease.
The Blue Moon is estimated between $ 35M (CHF 34,2M) and $ 55M (CHF 53,7M), for sale by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 11, lot 513. I invite you to watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
2014 Another Wonder from Cullinan
2016 SOLD for $ 25.4M including premium
The Cullinan mine was discovered in 1902. In 1905 a miner unearthed a type IIa historic gem weighing 3106 carats that remains unique by its weight and quality. Two famous white diamonds belonging to the British Royal Collection were extracted from the "Cullinan": the Great Star of Africa mounted on the scepter and the Second Star of Africa mounted on the crown.
This mine now owned by Petra Diamonds still remains the most regular purveyor of type IIb color diamonds, 10 to 20 times rarer than the IIa.
An extraordinary fancy intense blue gem weighing 122.52 carats was discovered at Cullinan in June 2014. The jewelers mapped with accuracy its internal crystalline regularity by using the semiconductor characteristics that are specific to the type IIb diamonds.
This non-destructive analysis enabled to optimize the cut. Four diamonds were produced. The Cullinan Dream is the biggest of the four. It is rectangular with cut corners and weighs 24.18 carats. Its clarity is VS2. It is estimated $ 23M for sale by Christie's in New York on June 9, lot 261.
This diamond is exceptional. Its fancy intense hue is much rarer than the fancy vivid blue. The Oppenheimer Blue, identified as the largest fancy vivid blue ever offered at auction, only weighed 14.62 carats. It was sold for CHF 57M including premium by Christie's on May 18, 2016.
An estimate around $ 1M per carat looks consistent with results obtained on other blue diamonds. A fancy intense blue with an excellent VVS2 clarity weighing 7.64 carats was sold for CHF 9M including premium by Sotheby's on 11 May 2010.
The other highly rare variety of blue, the fancy deep blue, can reach a price per carat of the same level or even higher. The estimate by Sotheby's in April 2016 at $ 2.6 million per carat for the diamond of Shirley Temple was nevertheless much exaggerated.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's to announce the Cullinan Dream:
This mine now owned by Petra Diamonds still remains the most regular purveyor of type IIb color diamonds, 10 to 20 times rarer than the IIa.
An extraordinary fancy intense blue gem weighing 122.52 carats was discovered at Cullinan in June 2014. The jewelers mapped with accuracy its internal crystalline regularity by using the semiconductor characteristics that are specific to the type IIb diamonds.
This non-destructive analysis enabled to optimize the cut. Four diamonds were produced. The Cullinan Dream is the biggest of the four. It is rectangular with cut corners and weighs 24.18 carats. Its clarity is VS2. It is estimated $ 23M for sale by Christie's in New York on June 9, lot 261.
This diamond is exceptional. Its fancy intense hue is much rarer than the fancy vivid blue. The Oppenheimer Blue, identified as the largest fancy vivid blue ever offered at auction, only weighed 14.62 carats. It was sold for CHF 57M including premium by Christie's on May 18, 2016.
An estimate around $ 1M per carat looks consistent with results obtained on other blue diamonds. A fancy intense blue with an excellent VVS2 clarity weighing 7.64 carats was sold for CHF 9M including premium by Sotheby's on 11 May 2010.
The other highly rare variety of blue, the fancy deep blue, can reach a price per carat of the same level or even higher. The estimate by Sotheby's in April 2016 at $ 2.6 million per carat for the diamond of Shirley Temple was nevertheless much exaggerated.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's to announce the Cullinan Dream:
2016 Three Continents for a Stone
2017 SOLD for CHF 33.5M including premium
On November 14 in Geneva, Christie's sells as lot 505 a diamond type IIa, D color, Flawless clarity. Weighing 163.41 carats, it is the largest perfect white diamond ever offered at auction and one of the largest ever inspected by the GIA. This performance is not the result of chance but of the involvement of the best specialists in the world.
The steps are told in detail by Christie's in the featured post.
The rough stone is extracted in Angola in February 2016. Weighing 404 carats, it is promising while being far from the records. Its quality is confirmed in New York by spectrography. For several weeks a team of experts researches the defects of the crystal.
Its bean form is not directly usable. In June, the world's best diamond cleaver with more than 50 years of experience cuts the stone in two halves from the middle. The polishing in emerald cut lasts six months, facet after facet.
They must now design a piece of jewelry highlighting this unprecedented wonder. The diamond is brought in December 2016 to De Grisogono in Geneva, which designs an asymmetrical necklace of emeralds and diamonds in 44 cm length. The jewel entrusted to Christie's then travels around the world before returning to Geneva for its auction sale
The steps are told in detail by Christie's in the featured post.
The rough stone is extracted in Angola in February 2016. Weighing 404 carats, it is promising while being far from the records. Its quality is confirmed in New York by spectrography. For several weeks a team of experts researches the defects of the crystal.
Its bean form is not directly usable. In June, the world's best diamond cleaver with more than 50 years of experience cuts the stone in two halves from the middle. The polishing in emerald cut lasts six months, facet after facet.
They must now design a piece of jewelry highlighting this unprecedented wonder. The diamond is brought in December 2016 to De Grisogono in Geneva, which designs an asymmetrical necklace of emeralds and diamonds in 44 cm length. The jewel entrusted to Christie's then travels around the world before returning to Geneva for its auction sale
Later this fall @ChristiesInc will #auction off 163-carat #diamond set into a necklace by @deGRISOGONO #degrisogono https://t.co/jvFFoVvZVF pic.twitter.com/dLcwY9bdy3
— National Jeweler (@NationalJeweler) October 2, 2017
The Underground of Botswana
2019 SOLD for HK$ 108M including premium
Botswana provides perfect diamonds capable of matching the best diamonds in history. Such chemically pure diamonds are referred as Type IIa and their absence of color is identified as D-color. The other criteria are their weight in carats, their internally and externally flawless clarity and the quality of cutting, polishing and symmetry. When the other characteristics are similar, larger diamonds reach a higher price per carat.
The most resplendent is the round brilliant. This cut is rarely practiced from large gems because the perfect shape is obtained at the expense of a loss of material. An oval with perfect facets can approach the quality of a round diamond. Some other elongated shapes such as pear or emerald also offer very satisfactory results.
In 2018 Sotheby's Diamonds privately sold a magnificent round diamond weighing 102.34 carats, extracted from a 425 carat rough stone mined by De Beers in Botswana. The price of the transaction was not disclosed.
On May 15, 2013, Christie's sold for CHF 26M including premium a 101.73 carat pear diamond obtained from a 236 carat gem unearthed at Jwaneng, a mine owned in partnership by De Beers and by the Government of Botswana.
On April 2 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1801 an oval diamond of 88.22 carats. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The GIA report accompanying its certification includes a rare laudatory comment : "Though its GIA Grading Report reveals a thorough description of its characteristics, it cannot quite capture its splendor - one must see the gem to comprehend its magnificence."
This diamond comes from a 242 carat rough stone also mined in Jwaneng. Its lower estimate at HK $ 88M responds to its weight in carats by using the double 8 which is in China a homophony with an augur of joy and wealth. This amount corresponds to US $ 127K before fees per carat.
An oval diamond weighing 118.28 carats worked from a 299 carat rough stone discovered in 2011 in southern Africa was sold for HK $ 240M including premium by Sotheby's on October 7, 2013, corresponding to US $ 260K including premium per carat.
The most resplendent is the round brilliant. This cut is rarely practiced from large gems because the perfect shape is obtained at the expense of a loss of material. An oval with perfect facets can approach the quality of a round diamond. Some other elongated shapes such as pear or emerald also offer very satisfactory results.
In 2018 Sotheby's Diamonds privately sold a magnificent round diamond weighing 102.34 carats, extracted from a 425 carat rough stone mined by De Beers in Botswana. The price of the transaction was not disclosed.
On May 15, 2013, Christie's sold for CHF 26M including premium a 101.73 carat pear diamond obtained from a 236 carat gem unearthed at Jwaneng, a mine owned in partnership by De Beers and by the Government of Botswana.
On April 2 in Hong Kong, Sotheby's sells as lot 1801 an oval diamond of 88.22 carats. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The GIA report accompanying its certification includes a rare laudatory comment : "Though its GIA Grading Report reveals a thorough description of its characteristics, it cannot quite capture its splendor - one must see the gem to comprehend its magnificence."
This diamond comes from a 242 carat rough stone also mined in Jwaneng. Its lower estimate at HK $ 88M responds to its weight in carats by using the double 8 which is in China a homophony with an augur of joy and wealth. This amount corresponds to US $ 127K before fees per carat.
An oval diamond weighing 118.28 carats worked from a 299 carat rough stone discovered in 2011 in southern Africa was sold for HK $ 240M including premium by Sotheby's on October 7, 2013, corresponding to US $ 260K including premium per carat.
#AuctionUpdate: Spectacular 88.22-Carat Oval Diamond, perfect according to every critical criterion, sells for HK$108 million / US$13.8 million, to a Japanese private collector who names the stone the 'manami star' #SothebysJewels pic.twitter.com/ekKqsoEb33
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) April 2, 2019
