On September 18, Christie's issued a press release talking about the Bleu Royal, the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond at auction.
The indicated date was November 7, highlighting that the Bleu Royal would make the grand closing of the Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva
The characteristics of the Bleu Royal
Rahul Kadakia, international director of jewelery at Christie's, describes this gemstone as “a true miracle of nature”.
This is an Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond, weighing 17.61 carats and cut in a pear shape.
Due to these characteristics, it is estimated that the value of the auction could range between 35 and 50 million dollars.
It's worth mentioning that the Bleu Royal doesn't come alone: it's set in a ring with two side diamonds!
And according to Christie's, the piece was part of a private collection for 50 years.
The sale of the Bleu Royal
In a record time of 7 minutes, the Bleu Royal was sold for $43.8 million on the night of November 7.
Max Fawcett, head of Christie's jewellery department in Geneva, said: “We're extremely delighted with the result."
This is because the Bleu Royal became the most expensive jewel sold at auction during 2023.
Fawcett also mentioned that: “There's a great market out there for rare things, and there are still collectors looking for the very best."
According to Christie's, this blue diamond will once again enter a private collection.
Other details about the Bleu Royal auction
Today, blue diamonds are in wide demand by collectors due to their exquisiteness.
Furthermore, these types of Fancy Vivid Blue diamonds weighing more than 10 carats are considered extremely rare.
For this reason, before the auction, this diamond was taken to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and New York.
The Bleu Royal and other blue diamonds auctioned
It is worth remembering that, before the Bleu Royal, the 10.95 carat Bulgari Blue diamond was auctioned at Christie's and sold for $15,762,500 in October 2010.
The 13.22 carat Winston Blue was auctioned for $23,795,372 in May 2014 and the 14.62 carat Oppenheimer Blue was sold for $57,541,779 in May 2016.
And since the Bleu Royal was worth $43.8 million, the Oppenheimer Blue remains the highest-value blue diamond sold at auction.
