Sotheby's "Perfect White Diamond"
Sotheby’s has in its possession the greatest white diamond to ever be at an auction house. It is a 118.28 carat oval D color flawless type IIa diamond and is a bit smaller than an egg. It will be auctioned off at the Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction that will take place on October 7. Expert auctioneers agree that it will most likely sell for between $28 million and $35 million. This would be the highest priced white diamond ever sold, and the most significant and largest diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America. Christie’s sold a 101.73 carat D color flawless diamond for $26 million back in May of this year, setting the record at that point, but this diamond is expected to break that record completely. The remarkable diamond is currently on display at Sotheby’s in New York City.
The original rough diamond, which was found in a mine in Southern Africa in 2011, was 299 carats. Sotheby’s has declined the opportunity to disclose the name of who originally claimed the rough diamond because they have an agreement that states that they will remain anonymous. It is the largest and most beautiful rough cut diamond found anywhere recently. The lucky person that purchases this beautiful stone will be able to name it, since most stones this large are named. There will also be a 7.5 carat flawless round vivid blue diamond called the Premier Blue auctioned with the white diamond the same day. This stone is thought to be worth around $19 million. These two items are expected to set a record for the largest jewelry auction in history, and this auction date happens to be the same day that Sotheby’s will be celebrating their 40th anniversary in Asia.
There have been several other D color diamonds sold at auction, but this one is 20% bigger than any others ever sold. The Mouawad Splendor, a 101.84 carat pear shaped D color and internally flawless diamond was sold for $12.8 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in 1990. The Star of Happiness, a 100.36 carat rectangular D color and internally flawless diamond was sold for $11.9 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in 1993. The Star of the Season is a 100.10 carat pear shaped D color and internally flawless diamond, which sold for $16.4 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in 1995. Also, the Winston Legacy, the 101.73 carat pear shaped D color and flawless diamond mentioned previously was sold at Christie’s Geneva this past May.
The auction in Hong Kong has become the center for jewelry sales recently. The $1.7 million record price per carat was set there for vivid blue diamonds. These blue diamonds, which are rarer than white diamonds, come from the same family as the Hope Diamond, but are simply a different hue. The Smithsonian in Washington DC is currently in possession of the Hope Diamond.
Diamonds have extreme rigid lattice, but can be contaminated by very few impurities. These impurities include boron and nitrogen. Because of the wide transparency, natural diamonds are clear and colorless. Very miniscule amounts of impurities can color a diamond blue, yellow, brown, green, purple, pink, orange or red. This stone has high optical dispersion, which means it has a great ability to disperse lights of different colors. This is what gives a diamond luster. It is because of these great optical properties and the hardness and durability of diamonds that make them the most popular gemstone to wear. It is not until after a diamond is cut and polished that you can see the beauty, flawlessness, color or lack of color that gives diamonds such a wonderful reputation for beauty and love.