Exceptional by its size but especially its price. This Wednesday, April 27, 2022, the blue diamond The De Beers Cullinan Blue was sold at auction for the sum of 450,925,000 Hong Kong dollars, or approximately 54.5 million euros. Organized by Sotheby’s, the sale, which took place in Hong Kong, was won by an anonymous buyer after eight minutes of bidding, reports Capital.
15.1 carats and zero flaws
The gem is said to be the largest vivid blue diamond with no internal flaws or impurities listed by the Gemological Institute of America. It takes its name from the South African mine from which it was extracted in April 2021, Cullinan, and from the group that owns it, De Beers.
In a statement, Sotheby’s called the 15.1-carat stone “exceptionally rare”, adding that it was the first blue diamond over 15 carats to be auctioned, “a historic event in itself”.
The De Beers Cullinan Blue does not hold the record for the most expensive blue diamond in history. In 2016, the Oppenheimer Blue was sold for just 70,000 dollars (66,000 euros) more.