8-Carat “Sky Blue” Diamond Garners $17M

New York--An 8.01-carat fancy vivid blue diamond, dubbed “The Sky Blue Diamond” to emphasize its rare hue, sold for $17.1 million, or $2.1 million per carat, Wednesday.

The stone, which is set in a Cartier ring, was supposed to lead the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale in Geneva, but it sold toward the low end of its estimated range of $15-$25 million.

The sale’s top lot ended up being a step-cut fancy intense pink diamond weighing 17.07 carats. Set between triangular diamonds weighing 3.07 and 3.13 carats, the pink garnered $20.8 million at Sotheby’s.

A few other pink diamonds fell within the top lots: a pear-shaped fancy intense pink diamond weighing 13.20 carats went for $16.2 million, a 40.30-carat pear-shaped fancy light pink diamond garnered $7.5 million and a step-cut fancy intense pink diamond weighing 8.73 carats sold for $4.3 million.

Also in the top lots were an oval fancy deep blue diamond weighing 7.74 carats set between shield-shape diamond shoulders that went for $13.7 million, and a cushion-shaped 8.37-carat ruby and diamond Cartier ring that garnered $4.3 million.

The Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale totaled $136.5 million in Geneva.


Meanwhile, Christie’s Geneva sold a 9.14-carat, fancy vivid pink, VS2-clarity pear-shape diamond for $18.1 million, or $2 million per carat, at its Magnificent Jewels auction on Tuesday.

The auction house also set a new world record at the sale for a pair of earrings when it sold two pear-shape, D-color, flawless diamonds weighing 52.55 carats and 50.47 carats from Paris haute joaillerie house Boehmer et Bassenge for $17.6 million.

A couple of necklaces also were notable in the sale.

A diamond fringe necklace from Harry Winston weighing a total of 128.24 carats sold for $8.3 million was bought back by Harry Winston, and a Boehmer et Bassenge necklace featuring two pear-shape diamonds weighing 31.38 and 12.11 carats and an 8.07-carat brilliant-cut diamond that were surrounded by pink diamonds and set in a double line of vari-cut diamond flowerhead clusters sold for $8.1 million.

Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale garnered revenues of $97.1 million.