THE BLUE MOON DIAMOND.
The Blue Moon Diamond – among the largest fancy vivid blue diamonds known – will be the centrepiece at Sotheby’s auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva on November 11. It weighs 12.03 carats and has been graded Fancy Vivid Blue – the highest possible colour grading for blue diamonds — by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Internally flawless it comes to market with an estimate of $35-55 million.
David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, commented: “The tremendous excitement last year over the discovery of a 29.62-carat blue rough diamond at the Cullinan mine in South Africa has now been proved to have been totally justified. Weighing in at 12.03 carats, the ‘Blue Moon’ diamond is a simply sensational stone of perfect colour and purity, combined with a superb cushion shape. Blue, for me, is the most mysterious and magical of all the colours of diamond, and the Blue Moon will now take its place among the most famous gems in the world.”