Said to meet every criteria of perfection, the D coloured diamond – which is the top colourless and clarity grade – is one of the largest ever pear-shaped stones.
The rough 236-carat diamond was uncovered at the Jwaneng mine in Botswana and took 21 months to polish. It has been graded by the Gemological Institute of America and reportedly has absolute symmetry.
The successful buyer will also gain the privilege of naming the diamond – which has never before been up for sale.
Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s head of jewellery for Switzerland and Americas, said: “Just as a great artist is able to ‘see’ a masterpiece in a block of marble, a perfect diamond is the result of the skill and vision of a master cutter who is able to uncover beauty from a rough gem”.
“This diamond is, in its scale, quality, and rarity one of the most beautiful ‘white’ diamonds Christie’s has ever had the honour of offering for sale,” he added.
According to Christie’s, the gemstone also features rare brilliance and inner limpidity that is only found in chemically pure Type 11A diamonds, which account for less than 2 per cent of the world’s diamond production.
In this category, the most famous colourless pear-shaped diamond is the Cullinan I, which is 530.20 carats and forms part of the British Crown Jewels. It is also the largest colourless diamond on record.
Christie’s said fine gemstones had recently experienced a surge in demand at auction. The current auction record for a colourless diamond is for the 76.02-carat Archduke Joseph Diamond, which sold for US$21.5 million in November 2012.
In May 2011, a perfectly symmetrical 56-carat heart-shaped diamond sold for more than US$10.9 million, becoming the most valuable heart-shaped diamond ever sold at auction.
The diamond will be auctioned in Geneva on 15 May 2013.
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