Sotheby’s to auction 10.10-carat blue diamond
by jacquie_dealmeida | March 14, 2016 3:14 pm
A 10.10-carat internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond is expected to fetch up to $35 million U.S. when it goes on auction block next month in Hong Kong.
The oval-cut ‘De Beers Millennium Jewel 4’ is part of the De Beers Millennium Jewels, a collection of 11 blue diamonds, featuring a rare combination of colour intensity, even saturation, and brilliance.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction will be held April 5, with a preview slated for April 1 to 4.
“Over the years, Sotheby’s has had the honour to bring to the market many important coloured diamonds, including the Blue Moon of Josephine that set the world auction record for any diamond last November,” said Quek Chin Yeow, deputy chair, Asia, and chair international jewellery, Asia for Sotheby’s.
“The market for coloured diamonds has gone from strength to strength, and this spring we are thrilled to present the ‘De Beers Millennium Jewel 4,’ the largest oval fancy vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction. Fifteen years ago, I had the great opportunity of seeing this magnificent stone for the first time and it is an absolute delight now to have it in one’s hand, to admire it again and to offer it for auction in Asia. This beautiful blue stone combining nature’s rare beauty, superlative colour, unusual shape, and illustrious provenance offers yet another wonderful collecting opportunity for connoisseurs worldwide.”
The ‘De Beers Millennium Jewel 4’ will be exhibited in London (March 15), Geneva (March 16), and Taipei (March 19 to 20).
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