A diamond named “The Spectacle” has sold for $14.1 million at Christie’s Geneva’s Magnificent Jewels sale in May.
The emerald-cut 100.94-carat D-colour, internally flawless Type IIa diamond is said to be the largest diamond ever to be cut in Russia. It was recovered as a 207.29-carat chunk of rough by Alrosa in Udachny in 2016, and was polished at the Diamonds of Alrosa facility.
Only two other D-colour diamonds over 100 carats have ever been sold at auction by Christie’s – the 101.73-carat flawless The Winston Legacy, which sold for $26.7 million in 2013 and the 163.41-carat flawless Creation I which sold for $33.7 million in 2017.
While The Spectacle’s price fell at the lower end of the pre-sale estimate of $13.2 million – $19.8 million, it was still the highest selling item at the auction, followed by a diamond ring featuring a Type IIa 15.23-carat, oval mixed-cut fancy intense pink diamond, which sold for $9.5 million; and a Boucheron three-stone diamond ring featuring a fancy purplish-pink rectangular cut-cornered 8.06-carat centre stone, flanked by tapered baguette-cut diamonds, which sold for $3.5 million, even though it was estimated to sell for between $1.3 and $1.7 million.