March 11, 2010 – A rare internally flawless blue diamond which was displayed at London’s former Millennium Dome is expected to sell for up to $6 million when it comes up at auction in April, Antwerp Facets Online reported.
A 5.16-carat pear-shaped “fancy vivid” blue diamond ring set to be sold by Sotheby’s in April
The 5.16-carat, pear-shaped stone, set in a ring, is the first blue diamond from the De Beers Millennium Jewels collection to be sold.
It was among 12 precious gems displayed at the Millennium Dome a decade ago, in a collection which included the 203.04-carat Millennium Star white diamond, and 11 blue stones of various shapes and weights.
The diamond will be sold by international auction house Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on April 7, and has an estimated price of $4.5 to $5.8 million.
The stone is graded as being “fancy vivid blue” – the highest for coloured diamonds.
Each stone in the collection was laser-inscribed with a De Beers Millennium number, with the blue diamond having the inscription “De Beers Millennium Jewel 11”.
Sotheby’s sold a 7.03-carat internally flawless blue diamond, called the Star of Josephine, in May 2009 for $9.48 million. At the time it set a world record auction price per carat of $1,349,751 million.
Antwerp Facets Online
