A 5.16 carat, pear-shaped Fancy Vivid Blue diamond is expected to be sold for at least £4million at an Sothebys auction next month.
“The diamond’s high and even saturation of brilliant sky-blue colour, internally flawless clarity and classic pear shape will undoubtedly spur intense bidding amongst discerning collectors from around the world,” the auction house said in a statement.
Blue diamond – rarest of gems
The blue diamond – the rarest of all gems – is being put up for sale by a private collector at Sotheby’s Hong Kong jewels and jadeite 2010 spring sale on April 7. The flawless diamond is from a De Beers collection of 12 rare gems presented in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium.
Last year, a 7.03 carat, cushion-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond set the world record price per carat at the Sotheby’s Geneva auction for £6.4 million.
China is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing diamond markets, reported The Telegraph, with jewellers forecasting it will be the next big purchaser of rare jewels.
De Beers is the world’s largest diamond producer. Its rough diamond sales and distribution arm, The Diamond Trading Company, sorts, values and sells approximately 40% of the world’s rough diamonds.
The company is well known for its successful marketing strategies including its marketing of diamonds as a symbol of love and commitment, the ‘eternity ring’ and symbol of continuing affection, the ‘trilogy ring’ representing the relationship’s past, present and future, and ‘right-hand ring’ worn by women as a symbol of independence.
One of its young copywriters, Frances Gerety, created the famous advertising line ‘A Diamond is Forever’ in 1947, allegedly while dreaming. In the year 2000, Advertising Age magazine named it as the best advertising slogan of the twentieth century.
