"Whiter than White" 8-ct Golconda Sells for $1.5m
November 09, 20
(IDEX Online) - A rare and exceptionally white eight-carat Golconda diamond has sold online for almost $1.5m.
The Type IIa IF marquise-cut gem was described by sellers as "a full two shades whiter than the whitest diamond".
It was recovered at the famed Golconda mines, in India, which operated in the 16th and 17th centuries, and produced diamonds of exceptional quality, clarity and whiteness due to the absence of trace nitrogen.
The 8.03-carat GIA-certified stone (pictured) sold for the asking price of $1,485,000 on the 1stDibs antiques and artefacts e-commerce website.
The diamond was set in a platinum ring and flanked by tapered white diamond baguettes totaling 0.72 carats graded D color and VS1 clarity.
1stDibs said: "They are universally accepted as the finest diamonds in the world, and, because they hailed from only one mine in the ancient region of Golconda that ceased production hundreds of years ago, these perfect stones are exceptionally rare."