Finest blue diamond in the market for ‘only’ $9.8 million

A stunning 10.06-carat blue diamond ring, surrounded by pink and white gems on a platinum and rose gold setting, is up for grabs at the M.S. Rau Antiques in New Orleans, US, for “only” US$9.8 million.

The price of this unique rock, called “The Royal Blue,” may seem a bargain when compared to the $19 million Sotheby’s Hong Kong is expecting to fetch for its recently announced 7.59-carat round fancy vivid blue rock.

The cut-corned, modified brilliant cut, natural fancy Royal Blue diamond has a VVS1 clarity grade, which means it has “very, very slight” inclusions, according to an article published by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

The diamond, considered by experts the finest blue gem on the market today, is only one step away from being graded as “internally flawless” under the GIA scale.

Blue diamonds rarely go on sale and have been sought-after by royals and celebrities for centuries. When sold, they usually go for record-breaking figures at auctions and other sales.

Because of their beauty and rarity, fancy blue diamonds attract a great deal of attention, and they usually fetch 10 to 50 more than their colourless peers.

The most recent example is the 5.3-carat fancy deep-blue diamond sold last April for $9.5 million at Bonhams’ Fine Jewellery sale in London. That is $1.8 million per carat.

Image courtesy of M.S. Rau Antiques.