A flawless blue diamond weighing 7.03 carats has sold for a record 10.5 million Swiss francs (£6.2 million), the highest price paid per carat for any gemstone at auction, Sotheby's said.
The rectangular-shaped blue stone, mounted on a platinum ring, is the rarest to enter the international market this year.
The anonymous phone bidder, who won after a 15-minute war, has yet to name the gem.
The flawless diamond, which is smaller than a penny, was found in Cullinan mine in South Africa last year, and was the centrepiece of Sotheby's semi-annual sale in Geneva.
The stone sets a record price per carat for any gemstone sold at auction of $1,349,752 (£883,956), Sotheby's said.
The blue diamond bucked a trend at the auction, where rings, bracelets and necklaces on offer sold, on average, for almost 10 per cent less than expected.
I was a little bit concerned in this market," said David Bennett, head of jewellery for Sotheby's Europe and Middle East.
The previous record price for a fancy vivid blue diamond was $7.9 million (£5.2 million), including commission, for a stone weighing 6.04 carats at sale in Hong Kong in October 2007, also by Sotheby's.
1 comment:
gee! i didnt know that a blue diamond would cost that much. my bf gave me one when he proposed now i know...
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