Bonhams bags $8.2m for pear-shaped diamond weighing almost 18 carats.
An unmounted 17.82 carat pear-shaped diamond was the star of an $8.2 million jewellery auction for Bonhams New York last week.
The extremely rare type IIa stone, in a modified pear brilliant cut, was listed by an unnamed private seller sold for $2.63 million, more than double its pre-auction estimate.
“Less than 2% of the world’s diamonds are type IIa, meaning they contain little – if any – nitrogen. They are considered the most chemically pure of all diamonds, and are renowned for their limpid appearance. This particular diamond was almost like a droplet from a sparkling waterfall,” explained Susan Abeles, Bonhams head of US Jewellery. “It was a pleasure to offer the diamond after decades in a private collection.”
Diamonds achieved sparkling prices thɾօυɢҺout the New York auction. A 1.12 carat pear shaped, natural fancy intense blue diamond ring tripled its pre-sale estimate to reach $365,000, while a fancy brownish-pink diamond ring, weighing 2.01 carats, more than doubled its estimate to reach $155,000. A fancy intense yellow diamond ring weighing 7.09 carats reached $185,000, while a fancy light yellow diamond ring weighing 7.79 carats achieved $118,750.
