In recent jewelry news, Sotheby’s put a massive white diamond up for auction on April 21, but it fell short of earning the highest price ever paid for a white diamond.
The emerald-cut, completely flawless diamond from De Beers in Africa weighed in at an astonishing 100.2 carats. It weighed more than 200 carats when first mined, and took about a year to be cut into its current shape. With the bidding started at $12 million, three anonymous bidders made 14 offers over the course of almost 4 minutes ending with a final total price of $22.09 million – right in line with pre-sale estimates.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to break the record for highest price ever paid for a white diamond. That honor goes to a 118.28 carat diamond that went for $30.6 million during a 2013 auction in Hong Kong. However, this 100.2 carat diamond does have the distinction of being the largest emerald-cut diamond of clarity ever to be sold at auction.
Going with an emerald cut was an interesting choice for this diamond. When combined with the thickness and clarity, the emerald cut makes the diamond look like a pool of water. On the other hand, some think that the diamond’s size makes it look too gaudy. What do you think? Let us know on our Twitter channel.
