Lifestyle

Huge and ultra-rare blue diamond sells for $57.5 million

Published on Apr 28, 2022 at 12:19 PM (UTC+4)
by Louise Cheer

Last updated on Apr 28, 2022 at 4:05 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

The largest Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever to appear at auction has sold for an eye-watering US$57.5 million.

Dubbed the De Beers Blue, the 15.10-carat, step-cut Fancy Vivid Blue diamond is the third most valuable diamond of any color to be put under the hammer.

In the blue diamond stakes, its price (HK$450,925,000 or US$57,471,960) is only bested by record-holder The Oppenheimer Blue, which sold for US$57,541,779.

READ MORE: World’s largest white diamond could be worth $30 million at auction

The De Beers Blue is pictured.
Image: Courtesy of Sotheby’s

It took a tense eight minutes between four potential buyers to take the price beyond pre-sale estimate of $48 million during the auction, hosted by Sotheby’s Hong Kong.

The DeBeers Blue’s new owner was represented via phone by Wenhao Yo, Sotheby’s Asia Jewellery and Watches chairman.

The stone was found at South Africa’s legendary Cullinan Mine, which is “one of very few sources in the world for extremely rare blue diamonds”, in 2021.

It’s the same mine where some of the world’s most famous diamonds have been discovered, including the 530-carat Great Star of Africa, the largest faceted colourless diamond.

The small amounts of boron in the diamond crystal lattice are what gives the stone its blue hue.

Sotheby’s says blue diamonds of this importance are “exceptionally rare, with only five 10-carat+ examples ever having come to auction, none of which have exceeded 15 carats”.

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A woman holds up the blue diamond.
Image: Courtesy of Sotheby’s

World’s top five most expensive Fancy Vivid Blue diamonds

  1. The Oppenheimer Blue
    Step-cut, 14.62 carats, VVS1 clarity
    Christie’s Geneva, May 2016 sold for US$57,541,779
  2. The De Beers Blue
    Step-cut, 15.10 carats, internally flawless
    Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, May 2022 sold for US$57,470,391
  3. The Blue Moon of Josephine
    Cushion-shaped, 12.03 carats, internally flawless
    Sotheby’s Geneva, November 2015 sold for US$48,468,158
  4. The Memory of Autumn Leaves
    Pear-Shaped, 14.54 carats, internally flawless
    Sotheby’s Geneva, May 2017 sold for US$42,087,302
  5. The Zoe Diamond
    Pear-shaped, 9.75 carats, VVS2 clarity
    Sotheby’s New York, November 2014 sold for US$32,645,000

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Louise Cheer oversees and writes stories about the latest headlines on topics such as automotive, technology, gaming, watches, movies and lifestyle. Louise has been a news editor at Yahoo and Daily Mail in Australia, with more than 10 years of experience in the media industry.