Sotheby’s To Auction 12-Carat Blue Moon Diamond

(IDEX Online News) – Auction house Sotheby's has announced that it will present the 12.03-carat “Blue Moon Diamond” (so called because it refers to the phrase “once in a blue moon”), among the largest known fancy vivid blue diamonds, as its center piece at the auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva on November 11.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has labeled the diamond as “exceptional” and a “once in a lifetime discovery.” It has graded the stone as Fancy Vivid Blue, the highest possible colour grading for blue. In addition to its color, the cushion brilliant-cut stone also boasts exceptional clarity, with the GIA giving it an IF rating. The market estimate for the stone is $35-$55 million.

“The tremendous excitement last year over the discovery of a 29.62-carat blue rough diamond at the Cullinan mine in South Africa has now been proved to have been totally justified. Weighing in at 12.03 carats, the ‘Blue Moon’ diamond is a simply sensational stone of perfect colour and purity, combined with a superb cushion shape. Blue, for me, is the most mysterious and magical of all the colours of diamond, and the ‘Blue Moon’ will now take its place among the most famous gems in the world,” said David Bennett, worldwide chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division.