The Oppenheimer Blue
There was a new world record for any jewel sold at auction at Christie’s in Geneva on May 18 when the Oppenheimer Blue sold for US$57.5 million. The 14.62 carat stone was acquired after a bidding battle that lasted nearly 25 minutes. This was the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction. It was named in honor of its previous owner Sir Philip Oppenheimer who for many year controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London. By some reckonings only one in 200,000 stones mined is blue. The colour, clarity, traditional cutting style and provenance of this particular diamond is exceptional. It had been estimated at US$38-45 million.
Jewels from the collection of Gabriela Princess zu Leiningen totaled US$22.5 million and were 100% sold. The sale total was US$169,528,430.
(See posts on antiquesandartireland.com for March 30 and 31, 2016)
