A new world record for any jewellery auction was set yesterday when Sotheby’s sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva realised $175,097,419 (£121,324,718), eclipsing the previous record of $160.9m (£111.4m) also set by Sotheby’s in the equivalent sale past year (May 2015).
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“As a general rule, these stones are quite small”, Christie’s diamond expert Jean-Marc Lunel told AFP, noting that a Fancy Vivid Blue weighing just five carats typically generates considerable buzz in the diamond market.
Cora International, whose chairman is Ehud Laniado, sold The Blue Moon, which was renamed The Blue Moon of Josephine by its new buyer, for a world record 48.6m Swiss francs (£31.8m) in November past year.
A dazzling blue diamond once owned by mining magnate Philip Oppenheimer could fetch a record sale price, with auction house Christie’s hoping it tops the staggering $48.4 million mark set previous year.
We don’t yet know who snagged this sparkler, but according to CNN, they’ve made a purchase for the record books: The very hefty sale makes this particular diamond-dubbed the “Unique Pink”-the most expensive fancy pink diamond to ever sell at auction”.
An assistant poses with a 15.38 carat vivid pink diamond at Sotheby’s auction house in London, Britain April 7, 2016.
The 15.38-carat diamond was found in South Africa in 2011 and was priced at $2,052,094 per carat.
Overall, the Sotheby’s sale netted $175.2 million, “setting a new world record for any jewelry auction”, Sotheby’s said in a statement. It eclipsed US$160m set a year ago.
That obliterated the pre-sale estimate range of between 38 million and 45 million francs.
The anonymous buyer will have to part with a total of $57.54 million, all fees and commissions included, a Christie’s spokesman said. “It seems to have paid off”.
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“I am truly delighted that Cora International has brought a third record-breaking diamond to auction”, said Cora International chairman Ehud Laniado.
