Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses have a long standing tradition of selling exquisite pieces of jewelry and gemstones. Recently, Sotheby’s set a new record when it sold a 3.7 carat blue diamond ring. The record that was broken by the auction house was the largest price per carat diamond, which makes the blue diamond the most expensive gemstone per carat ever to be sold at an auction.The 3.7 carat blue diamond sold for a final price of 4.93 million dollars, or 1.33 million dollars per carat and in the process, beat the existing record of 1.32 million dollars per carat that was set last year by a 6.04 carat blue diamond that sold in Hong Kong. The buyer of the exquisite blue diamond is one of the industry’s leading jewelers.
This record-setting diamond is an oval (pear shaped) shaped diamond that is similar in size to the shell of a pistachio nut. The diamond had a color grade of fancy vivid, which is the most intense color rating that can be given to a diamond. While the 3.7 carat blue diamond set a new world record, another blue diamond was the highest selling item at an auction held by Christie’s.
The blue diamond that topped the recent Christie’s auction was 13.39 carats and sold for 8.87 million dollars. The buyer of the magnificent diamond preferred to remain anonymous. What makes this diamond different from the 3.7 carat blue diamond is that this diamond is the largest blue diamond with a color grading of fancy intense to ever be placed on any auction block. The before auction estimated price of the diamond was six to eight million dollars. The 13.39 carat blue diamond is rectangular in shape and was set in a ring that was completely surrounded by small pink diamonds.
Experts at both Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses say that the high prices that the blue diamonds brought reiterate the notion that buyers are still hungry to purchase rare and unique jewelry items and gemstones. The fact can be proven by the high prices that other types of diamonds brought at the same auction as the 13.39 blue diamond ring.
Another diamond jewelry piece that demanded a high price was a 21.4 carat, heart shaped, vivid yellow diamond. This particular diamond was set in a necklace and had a total auction price of 3.14 million dollars. While individual diamonds are known to bring large prices at auction, mixed gemstone jewelry pieces are also known to bring large prices. This particular auction also saw the sale of an exquisite necklace, which was covered in diamonds, emeralds and pearls, reach a final selling price of 5.59 million dollars. There was also a diamond, emerald and pearl brooch that matched the stunning necklace that sold for an astonishing 4.38 million dollars. Both of the items were sold to United States traders. While these diamond pieces are the most recent diamonds to be placed for auction at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, both auction houses have a long history of selling magnificent diamonds and other gemstones.
One of the most magnificent diamonds to move through Christie’s went through the auction house in just the last year. The diamond was an internally flawless D rated diamond that was 39.34 carats in size. The diamond was un-mounted and featured a cushion cut. This particular diamond is one of the finest to ever grace an auction. The diamond featured a cut so perfect that the diamond can balance perfectly on its cutlet. This diamond is also very unique in that it does not have any traces of colorant nitrogen. Only two percent of all diamonds in the world possess this feature, which is responsible for the diamond’s brilliance.
Sotheby’s has also had the pleasure of selling some of the world’s most famous and exquisite diamonds in the past few years. Sotheby’s currently holds the record for the most expensive diamond, which was a one hundred carat diamond that was sold in May of 1995 for a record sixteen and a half million dollars. More recently, Sotherby’s sold the founder of Guess Jeans an eighty four carat white diamond for a near record price of 16.2 million dollars.
Even though both of the auction houses have a long tradition of selling unique and rare diamonds, there are instances when large diamonds fail to sell on the auction block. The most recent example of this phenomenon took place just last month when Sotheby’s failed to sell a 72.22 carat diamond that was about the size of a golf ball. Even though the diamond did not sell at the auction, later it was sold to a private collector for an undisclosed sum.
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