New York–An 8.01-carat fancy vivid blue diamond, dubbed “The Sky Blue Diamond” to emphasize its rare hue, sold for $17.1 million, or $2.1 million per carat, Wednesday.
The stone, which is set in a Cartier ring, was supposed to lead the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale in Geneva, but it sold toward the low end of its estimated range of $15-$25 million.
The sale’s top lot ended up being a step-cut fancy intense pink diamond weighing 17.07 carats. Set between triangular diamonds weighing 3.07 and 3.13 carats, the pink garnered $20.8 million at Sotheby’s.
A few other pink diamonds fell within the top lots: a pear-shaped fancy intense pink diamond weighing 13.20 carats went for $16.2 million, a 40.30-carat pear-shaped fancy light pink diamond garnered $7.5 million and a step-cut fancy intense pink diamond weighing 8.73 carats sold for $4.3 million.
Photo © Courtesy of Sotheby’s and Christie’s