Christie's to Auction Legendary Archduke Joseph Diamond

The Archduke Joseph Diamond Image: Christie's

(IDEX Online News) – One of the rarest and most famous diamonds in the world – the Archduke Joseph Diamond – is to be auctioned at Christie's Geneva in November. The 76.02 carat, D / IF, diamond is expected to realize a price in excess of $15 million.

When it was last put up for auction in 1993, the stone achieved $6.5 million ($10.5 million today).

The origins of the diamond can be traced to the ancient Golconda mines in India. Although it is not known exactly when the diamond entered the House of Habsburg, it has been officially recorded as the property of the Archduke Joseph August of Austria, Palatine of Hungary (1872-1962), and was subsequently named after him.

It is believed that the Archduke passed on the diamond to his son, the Archduke Joseph Francis (1895-1957), as records show that he deposited it in the vault of the Hungarian General Credit Bank on 1 June, 1933. The diamond was sold three years later to an anonymous buyer who left it in a safe during World War II. After decades of mystery, the diamond re-appeared on 22 June, 1961 at an auction in London.

“The Archduke Joseph Diamond is the finest and largest perfect Golconda diamond ever to appear at auction. It is comparable in its noble lineage and superb quality to the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond,” said Rahul Kadakia, head of Jewellery, Christie's Americas and Switzerland.