Blue diamond “once in a thousand years” sold at a great price

Dubbed “The De Beers Cullinan Blue,” the massive 15.10-carat gem sold at auction house Sotheby’s in Hong Kong (China) after an 8-minute bidding war between 4 buyers. The final price, which surpassed an estimate of $48 million, came from an anonymous buyer over the phone, according to CNN.

The rare diamond was found in South Africa’s Cullinan mine in 2021 and it has achieved the highest rank for which colored diamonds are assessed.

According to a statement from Sotheby’s, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has classified the diamond as a “fancy vivid blue diamond” – the top color grading given to no more than 1% of blue diamonds received assessment at this institute.

Describing the diamond as “exceptionally rare”, the Sotheby’s statement added that only five over 10 carats have ever appeared at auction. None are larger than 15 carats, which “in itself makes the appearance of this flawless jewel a landmark event”.

With a final price of $57,471,960, The De Beers Cullinan Blue almost set the record for the most expensive blue diamond ever sold. Auction. That title is still held by the 14.62-carat “Oppenheimer Blue,” which sold in 2016 for a final price of $57,541,779, a difference of just under $70,000.

“It is truly a one-of-a-kind, millennial diamond, and simply the largest blue diamond I have ever seen,” said Patti Wong, President of Sotheby’s Asia.