Sotheby’s describes the De Beers stone as an “an extraordinary natural treasure.”
The De Beers Cullinan Blue, described as one of the most valuable blue diamonds ever, will go under the hammer this April, and could fetch for a cool $48 million.
According to its auction house Sotheby’s, the 15.10 carat step-cut blue was cut from a rough stone discovered in April 2021. “In its masterfully crafted, newly formed state, it now re-emerges as the largest vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction and the largest internally flawless step cut vivid blue diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded,” its catalogue description reads.
Bruce Cleaver, De Beers group CEO, says that the stone is one of the best that they have seen. “It is extremely rare and unique, and as the Home of Diamonds, De Beers is pleased to join together with Sotheby’s to bring this diamond to the world.”
Blue is considered among the rarest among colored diamonds, and its hue is caused by trace amounts of boron within its crystal lattice. There are very few sources for blue diamonds in the world, most of which are recovered from the Cullinan mine in South Africa. This has yielded many of the world’s most famous diamonds, including the largest faceted colorless diamond in the world, the 530-carat Great Star of Africa.
Furthermore, the catalogue describes the De Beers stone as boasting “exceptional clarity, having been declared Internally Flawless by the GIA; in addition to which, it was found to have excellent polish and to be of Type IIb, a rare category which represents less than 0.5 percent of all diamonds. Adding to the diamond’s allure is its classic step-cut—a style most associated with white diamonds—that is immensely sought-after in rare colors.”
This year opened with a couple of big wins for diamonds. The world’s largest cut diamond, the 555.55-carat The Enigma, was recently purchased in another Sotheby’s sale using cryptocurrency.
The sale goes live on April 27, 2002 at 2 P.M. HKT. For assistance with bidding and registration, email [email protected] or call+852 2524 8121.
Banner Photo from @sothebysjewels on IG
