Sotheby’s will soon auction eight blue diamonds sourced from the De Beers Group, with the De Beers Exceptional Blue collection expected to fetch more than $US85 million ($AU136.36) in total.
The diamonds were sourced from the Cullinan Mine in South Africa and vary in shape and size, ranging from a 1.2-carat oval shape to an 11.29-carat step-cut. Together, the collection weighs more than 32 carats.
Four of the diamonds are GIA-graded as fancy vivid, the highest of all colour gradings, and the De Beers Exceptional 3.24-carat diamond is internally flawless.
“The magnificent De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection stands as a testament to De Beers’ unique ability to source the rarest diamonds in the world and the patience and foresight required to assemble a collection that transcends rarity and can only be called remarkable,” Bruce Cleaver, CEO of the De Beers Group said in a statement.
The first of the eight to be sold will be a 5.53-carat diamond, appearing at the Sotheby’s Magnificent and Nobles Jewels auction in Geneva on 9 November. Two more blue diamonds will feature at the Magnificent Jewels auction in New York on 7 December.
Olivier Wagner, head of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva, said: “the market for coloured diamonds and precious gemstones has never been stronger, so we are absolutely thrilled to be offering the first diamond of this superb collection.”
The remaining five diamonds are expected to be auctioned in 2023.
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