A rare fancy vivid blue, internally flawless, cushion-shaped diamond weighing 7.03 carats and cut from a rough mined at Petra Diamonds’ Petra Diamonds’ Cullinan diamond mine will be the centrepiece of the upcoming Sotheby’s sale of Magnificent Jewels. The diamond has been derived from the original rough diamond weighing 26.58 carats, and discovered in 2008.

With its characteristics and weight of 7.03 carats, the diamond ranks among the most important blue diamonds ever to be offered for sale by Sotheby’s. The stone bears a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading as fancy vivid blue in colour and internally flawless in clarity, the highest possible grading for a blue diamond.

The Sothbey’s sale is scheduled to take place at the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva on 12 May 2009. Prior to this, the auction house has arranged for a marketing programme to exhibit the rare diamond in Hong Kong, Paris, New York and London. Johan Dippenaar, CEO of Petra Diamonds, commented: “This fancy vivid blue, flawless diamond is a very rare and unique gem. Its quality is enhanced by its Cullinan origins, a mine that has produced some of the world’s most famous diamonds. Given its distinguished heritage, it is fitting that Sotheby’s should further establish its legacy by marketing the gem as the cornerstone of its exclusive ‘Magnificent Jewels’ collection in Geneva.”

The pre-sale estimate of the stone is US$5.8-8.5 million and the buyer will have the right to name the diamond. David Bennett, Chairman, Europe & the Middle East, Sotheby’s International Jewellery Department, said: “Blue diamonds are among the rarest of all nature’s treasures and it is very exciting to have such a fine example as the centrepiece of our forthcoming Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale. This stone certainly ranks among the most important blue diamonds that I have had the privilege of offering for sale in my career at Sotheby’s and what makes it particularly special for us, is that we’ve been able to follow its production from the initial rough state through the various stages of its cutting and polishing.”

A rare fancy vivid blue, internally flawless, cushion-shaped diamond weighing 7.03 carats and cut from a rough mined at Petra Diamonds’ Petra Diamonds’ Cullinan diamond mine will be the centrepiece of the upcoming Sotheby’s sale of Magnificent Jewels. The diamond has been derived from the original rough diamond weighing 26.58 carats, and discovered in 2008.

With its characteristics and weight of 7.03 carats, the diamond ranks among the most important blue diamonds ever to be offered for sale by Sotheby’s. The stone bears a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading as fancy vivid blue in colour and internally flawless in clarity, the highest possible grading for a blue diamond.

The Sothbey’s sale is scheduled to take place at the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Geneva on 12 May 2009. Prior to this, the auction house has arranged for a marketing programme to exhibit the rare diamond in Hong Kong, Paris, New York and London. Johan Dippenaar, CEO of Petra Diamonds, commented: “This fancy vivid blue, flawless diamond is a very rare and unique gem. Its quality is enhanced by its Cullinan origins, a mine that has produced some of the world’s most famous diamonds. Given its distinguished heritage, it is fitting that Sotheby’s should further establish its legacy by marketing the gem as the cornerstone of its exclusive ‘Magnificent Jewels’ collection in Geneva.”

The pre-sale estimate of the stone is US$5.8-8.5 million and the buyer will have the right to name the diamond. David Bennett, Chairman, Europe & the Middle East, Sotheby’s International Jewellery Department, said: “Blue diamonds are among the rarest of all nature’s treasures and it is very exciting to have such a fine example as the centrepiece of our forthcoming Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale. This stone certainly ranks among the most important blue diamonds that I have had the privilege of offering for sale in my career at Sotheby’s and what makes it particularly special for us, is that we’ve been able to follow its production from the initial rough state through the various stages of its cutting and polishing.”