This is what a $30 million diamond looks like

The Winston Legacy diamond. (Image courtesy of Christie’s.)

One of the world’s largest flawless diamonds is attracting the interest of investors and jewellers alike as the rock worth between $20 and $30 million is set to go under Christie’s hammer on May 15.

The pear-shaped gem weighs 101.73 carats and it is considered perfect because of its color, which is rated “D,” and its flawless clarity. It’s also completely symmetrical and has a rare brilliance, Christie’s says.

The diamond comes from a 236-carat rough that was found at the De Beers–owned Jwaneng mine in Botswana. It took 21 months to polish and it is expected break the auction record set by the $21.5 million purchase of the 76-carat Archduke Joseph Diamond last year.

According to industry publication JCK Magazine this rock “looks like one for the books,” adding the gem is a “Type IIa,” category that fewer than 2% of the diamonds in the world fall into.

The world’s most famous pear-shaped diamond is the Cullinan I, a colourless, Type IIA stone of 530.20 carats, which forms part of the British Crown Jewels.