Largest oval fancy vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction to debut in Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale
De Beers Millennium Jewel 4 estimated to fetch up to HK$280 million
The largest oval-shaped, fancy vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction worldwide will debut at Sotheby’s spring sale in Hong Kong next month.
The De Beers Millennium Jewel 4, a 10.10-carat diamond, is “internally flawless” and expected to fetch between HK$235 million and HK$280 million. The jewel is the only oval-shaped diamond among 12 rare diamonds from the De Beers Millennium Jewels collection, originally mined from the Cullinan mine in South Africa.
“Highly saturated blue diamonds over 10 carats combined with an ‘internally flawless’ clarity grade are extremely rare,” said Tom Moses, executive vice-president and chief research and laboratory officer at the Gemological Institute of America. “Most of the recent diamonds offered for sale in this category are coming from private collections – not diamond mines.”
Taking place on April 5, the auction will feature about 270 lots worth an estimated HK$740 million.