Sotheby's is auctioning off a rare gem that will fulfill one lucky bride’s need for something blue. “The Sky Blue Diamond” is an 8.01 carat stunner, which has been described as a “wonderfully clear celestial blue,” by David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewelry Division. The color of this gemstone is no joke; the diamond is estimated to fetch between $15 and 25 million when it hits the auction block at Sotheby’s Geneva Jewelry sale, on November 16.
The Gemological Institute of America has given “The Sky Blue Diamond” the highest possible color grading, Fancy Vivid Blue. This places it in the top one percent of all blue diamonds that the GIA grades. Further, the stone has been categorized as a rare Type IIb, an honor that is bestowed upon less than 0.5 percent of all diamonds worldwide.
The square emerald-cut gem is set in a mount by Cartier, surrounded by plenty of other diamonds, but only those of the white variety. Though the clunky setting does detract from the stone’s brilliance, we have no doubt that Sotheby’s will still find a suitable owner for this rare gem. The auction house has broken world record auction prices for blue diamonds over the past two years, recently with ‘The Blue Moon‘ of Josephine. The cushion-shaped 12.03 carat stone was purchased for $48.5 million in November 2015, meaning each carat was valued at over $4 million.
Other notable blue diamonds sold by Sotheby’s include “The Zoe Diamond,” a pear-shaped gem which generated $32.6 million in November 2014 and the 10.10 carat, oval-cut “Millennium Blue,” which sold for $31.8 million in April 2016.
