Oppenheimer Blue Diamond Sells for $57.5 Million at Christie's
May 19, 16
(IDEX Online News) – The Oppenheimer Blue, a 14.62-carat vivid blue diamond was sold at Christie’s Magnificent Jewel auction in Geneva, Switzerland, for CHF56.8 million ($57.5 million).
Christie’s said that the auction lasted around 25 minutes and witnessed a bidding war between collectors on three continents, with the successful new owner identified as a private collector.
The sale of the Oppenheimer Blue beat the previous record for the amount paid for a colored diamond, the “Blue Moon of Josephine,” which sold for $48.5 million.
Christie’s Asia Pacific and China chairman, François Curiel previously said of the jewel, “The Oppenheimer Blue can only be described as one of the rarest gems in the world. It is the gem of gems.”