Known as the Ocean Dream, it is a triangular-cut, 5.50-carat, fancy-vivid-blue-green type IIa diamond. It was discovered as an 11.70-carat rough in Central Africa.
Headlining the latest Christie’s sale in Geneva, the diamond returned $USD17.4 million ($AUD24.39 million) after 20 minutes of bidding.
The Ocean Dream was acquired by the Cora Diamond Corporation in New York in the early 1990s, which commissioned Mazhar Saylam to shape it into a modified triangular brilliant.
The diamond made its public debut in a Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History exhibition in 2003, where it was displayed alongside the Moussaieff Red, the De Beers Millennium Star, the Pumpkin Diamond, the Blue Heart of Eternity, the Allnatt Diamond, and the Steinmetz Pink.
In an interview with the Observer, Tom Moses, Gemological Institute of America executive vice president, explained the demand for diamonds of this rarity.
“Blue-green diamonds are extraordinarily rare because their colour depends on a very specific set of natural conditions,” Moses explained.
"The radiation most often does not penetrate entirely through the diamond, which makes the cutting process especially delicate, as the cutter must preserve the colour while also balancing shape, weight and brilliance.”
“The result at Christie’s reflects continued demand for exceptional natural coloured diamonds. Collectors at this level are looking for gems with characteristics and stories that are beautiful and unique.”
In total, the May 13 Magnificent Jewels sale returned $USD66.5 million ($AUD93.21 million), with more than 80 per cent of the items sold exceeding their pre-sale estimates.
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