For the girl who has everything … the sqash-ball sized diamond is the biggest to come to market for 18 years.Photo: AP***
HONG KONG (Xinhua): The largest colorless diamond seen at auction in nearly 20 years will go under the hammer on May 28 in Christie’s Hong Kong sale, officials said as it was previewed here Tuesday.
The F color, internally flawless VVS1 101.27-carat stone, which will be sold at “Jewels: The Hong Kong Sale”, is expected to realise in excess of $ 6 million. It is the largest colorless diamond to appear on the auction market in 18 years and the largest colorless diamond to ever be sold at auction in Hong Kong.
“Only three colorless diamonds of over 100 carats have ever appeared at auction, all sold in Geneva,” said Francois Curiel, chairman of jewelry at Christie’s.
“With Asia becoming such a vibrant market, it is fitting that this rarest gem should be offered on May 28 to the growing number of collectors in this region,” he added.
The Spring sale of magnificent jewels on May 28 will sell 345 lots estimated to achieve in excess of $ 56 million.
Also featured at Tuesday’s preview is an 10.63-carat green diamond, which is expected to sell for $ 2 million to 3 million. Green diamonds rank as one of the rarest colors in diamonds, second only to red.
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What about green diamonds?
Green diamonds are a separate case: these diamonds can contain clustered nitrogen atoms or they can contain no nitrogen atoms - what gives them their color is that they have been bombarded by nuclear rays during their growth. This bombardment makes them absorb magenta wavelengths, which gives them their green color. These diamonds are extremely rare.
The Dresden Green, named after the capital of Saxony where it was exhibited for almost two centuries, is certainly the most beautiful known specimen.
The first written trace of this diamond dates back to 1726: Baron Gautier, an evaluator in Dresden, refers in a letter to a green diamond that was proposed to King Frederic August I by a London merchant. Others say a Dutchman named Delles sold it to Frederic August II during a commercial fair in Leipzig in 1741. It is said that the rough stone was purchased in Golconda by the famous diamond merchant Marcus Moses, who would have had it cut in London shortly before 1741. Seized by the Soviets at the end of the Second World War, the Dresden Green was returned to the Germans in 1958. Today, it is kept in the Albertinium Museum in Dresden.It has a fancy green color, weighs almost 41 carats, has 58 facets and is cut in an irregular pear shape.
Green diamonds are a separate case: these diamonds can contain clustered nitrogen atoms or they can contain no nitrogen atoms - what gives them their color is that they have been bombarded by nuclear rays during their growth. This bombardment makes them absorb magenta wavelengths, which gives them their green color. These diamonds are extremely rare.
The Dresden Green, named after the capital of Saxony where it was exhibited for almost two centuries, is certainly the most beautiful known specimen.
The first written trace of this diamond dates back to 1726: Baron Gautier, an evaluator in Dresden, refers in a letter to a green diamond that was proposed to King Frederic August I by a London merchant. Others say a Dutchman named Delles sold it to Frederic August II during a commercial fair in Leipzig in 1741. It is said that the rough stone was purchased in Golconda by the famous diamond merchant Marcus Moses, who would have had it cut in London shortly before 1741. Seized by the Soviets at the end of the Second World War, the Dresden Green was returned to the Germans in 1958. Today, it is kept in the Albertinium Museum in Dresden.It has a fancy green color, weighs almost 41 carats, has 58 facets and is cut in an irregular pear shape.
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A 39.34-carat “D” colour, flawless diamond sold for $US6.87 million ($A7.3 million) at a Christie’s New York sale earlier this month.
Naming rights for the gem will be granted to the buyer, who Christie’s said might come from Russia or the Middle East.
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