The Bleu Royal, the largest internally flawless fancy vivid blue gem, made auction history in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier this month. The diamond, weighing 17.61 carats, was sold to an anonymous private collector for approximately C$60.4 million (US$43.8 million) after seven minutes of bidding.
The Christie’s auction was the first time the diamond, cut in a pear-shape and set onto a ring, had been brought to auction. It had previously spent decades in a private collection. The price, at nearly C$3.4 million (US$2.4 million) per carat, marks the brilliant blue diamond as one of the most expensive pieces of jewellery ever sold by an auction house.
Considering the rarity of fancy vivid blue diamonds greater than 10 carats, the Bleu Royal is the third fancy vivid blue diamond to appear in a Christie’s auction house.
