100-carat perfect diamond fetches US$22m in New York auction
An eye-popping, 100-carat diamond, the highlight of a magnificent jewel sale in New York, sold for US$22.1 million, Sotheby's auction house said.
The perfect classic emerald-cut white diamond, which is about the size of a walnut and was mined by De Beers in southern Africa, was purchased by an anonymous buyer via telephone.
Gary Schuler, the head of Sotheby's jewellery department in New York, said the gem was the definition of perfection.
"The colour is whiter than white, it is free of any internal perfections, and so transparent that I can only compare it to a pool of water," he explained.
The price fell short of the US$30.6 million world record price paid for a 118.28 carat white diamond in Hong Kong in 2013.
Sotheby's said only six perfect diamonds weighing more than 100 carats have been sold at auction in the past 25 years.
Schuler said the distinguishing characteristic of the huge diamond sold on Tuesday was its size and beautiful shape. Originally weighing over 200 carats, its owner spent more than a year perfecting its cut and polish.
Sotheby's said that from 1990 to 2013 the price per carat for a 100-carat perfect diamond had risen to US$260,000.
The diamond was the top selling item in a sale of more than 350 jewels expected to sell for a total of over US$50 million.
Other highlights include a pear-shaped pink diamond weighing 6.24 carats with a pre-sale estimate of US$3.5 million as well as coloured diamond ring weighing 6.06 carats that is expected to bring in as much as US$4.5 million.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Perfect diamond sells for US$22m at auction
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