Christie's Golconda Diamond Fetches $10.9 Million

The Golconda Diamond

Known as the “Golconda Diamond“, this stunning gem cashed in at a whopping $10.9 million at a recent Christie’s auction located in New York City. According to Forbes, ” The final jewelry auction of the year for Christie’s ended with the sale of a rare 52.58-carat, D-color, internally flawless Golconda diamond for $10.9 million”, says Forbes’s Anthony DeMarco. D-color, being the most colorless shade a diamond can be is a rare color for such large carat gem. The large amount of carats on top of the diamond’s color is classic traits for diamonds of its kind. Although the Golconda Diamon is rare, the gem comes from a city called Golconda, located in India.

History of Golconda

Golconda, India is no stranger to the diamond business. Dating back to the 1600-1800’s Golconda was the diamond capital of the world. They had very few diamonds however, at the time they held the only diamond mines known to India. Not many people know this, however many of the finest diamonds, that sit in the crowns of those in Iran, came from Golconda, India. The city is culturally rich and produced many of the famous gems we know today. In fact, one of them sold for $39.3 million at another Christie’s auction earlier in 2013. The diamond sold was similar in its quality to that of the Golconda Diamon. The rhombus was pink in color and sold to an anonymous bidder over the phone, once again very similar to the Golconda Diamon.

Diamonds that come from Golconda

Golconda has an extensive list of world-renowned diamonds. Signature traits of a diamond from Golconda are their level of transparency, color, shape, and type. Golconda mines have a distinct richness to them that has provided them the ability to produce such rare gems throughout history. Kollur mine is perhaps the most eminent mine known to India. Below is some of the most famous stones to come from such mine.

• The Hope Diamond
• Princie Diamond
• The Regent Diamond
• Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond
• Darya-e Nur
• Wittelsbach Diamond
• The Koh-i-noor Diamond

These gemstones have a substantial track record in history, which all trace back to Golconda. The Princie Diamond was sold during a Christie’s auction at a record-breaking price, making it a contender with the $10.9 million dollar Golconda Diamon. The Hope Diamond is currently on display in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Unlike the Golconda Diamon the Hope Diamond is blue in color which is clearly visible to the naked eye.

Gemstone Experts

After reading about the Golconda stones and other rocks that have made an impact on history, you now understand a little more about diamonds and how their complexity increases their value. We also believe that a gemstone belong with a band that bring out their d-level. For example, a platinum or white gold band rather than traditional gold would be best suited for a d-level diamond because d-level gemstones have no hue. The reason behind this is that the gold color would contradict the colorless stone. With that said, it is also harder to detect the color of a diamond once it is set and placed in a ring. The previous fact alone is yet another reason why the stand-alone Golconda is so remarkable.