“The De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection” will be sold across Sotheby’s jewelry auctions this year and thɾօυɢҺ spring 2023.
New York—The upcoming auction season is definitely one for blue diamond lovers.
Sotheby’s has announced it will sell a group of eight fancy blue diamonds valued at more than $70 million total across its Magnificent Jewels auctions this year and into the spring.
“The De Beers Exceptional Blue Collection,” sourced and assembled by the diamond company, is appearing at auction for the first time.
The group is comprised of eight blue diamonds of various shapes and weights, ranging in size from a 1.22-carat oval brilliant-cut to an 11.29-carat step-cut diamond, for a total weight of 32.09 carats among them.
Three of the diamonds will be offered this year: the 5.53-carat stone will be a highlight of Sotheby’s Magnificent and Noble Jewels auction in Geneva on Nov. 9, while the 3.24-carat diamond and the 2.08-carat diamond will be offered in New York on Dec. 7.
The full list of the eight diamonds and their estimates are as follows.
–11.29-carat step-cut fancy vivid blue (estimated at $28 million-$50 million)
–5.53-carat cushion brilliant-cut fancy vivid blue (estimated at $11 million-15 million)
–4.13-carat step-cut fancy intense blue (estimated at $2.5 million-$3.5 million)
–3.24-carat cushion brilliant-cut internally flawless fancy vivid blue (estimated at $5 million-$8 million)
–3.10-carat cushion brilliant-cut fancy vivid blue (estimated at $4.5 million-$5 million)
–2.08-carat cushion-cut fancy intense blue (estimated at $1.2 million-$1.5 million)
–1.50-carat round brilliant-cut fancy intense blue (estimated at $750,000-$1 million)
–1.22-carat oval brilliant-cut fancy intense blue (estimated at $600,000-$800,000)
De Beers and Diacore jointly paid $40.36 million for five ɾօυɢҺ blue diamonds from the Cullinan mine weighing 85.62 carats totalin November 2020.
Over almost two years, Diacore cut and polished the five ɾօυɢҺ stones to create the eight blue diamonds in the collection Sotheby’s is now presenting.
