A “perfect” white diamond that will go under Sotheby’s hammer in Hong Kong next month, made its first appearance in the city on Thursday, with experts predicting it will easily fetch up to US$35 million.
The flawless 118-carat gem, the size of a chicken egg, was unearthed in 2011 in an undisclosed African nation. It is the largest perfect white diamond ever hit the auction block, and Sotheby’s believes it could be an auction-record breaking.
“It’s a perfect diamond. There’s not a better diamond ever offered anywhere in the world,” Sotheby’s Asia Deputy Head of Jewellery Department Terry Chu told AFP Thursday.
The current records for both price and size for a perfect white diamond were set by auction house Christie’s, when its 101.73-carat gem sold for almost $27 million.
Sotheby’s, which displayed the rock under heavy guard, said it will also auction a 7.59-carat blue diamond, which is expected to fetch up to $19 million, and two jadeite bead necklaces from the Chinese republican period, worth up to $3.8 million.
Images courtesy of Sotheby’s and BBC via YouTube
2 Comments
John
undisclosed African Country = “Blood Diamond”
beckymoore
Absolutely gorgeous – I’d love to have either of these as a pendant on a necklace!