100-carat, Emerald-cut Diamond Sells for $22.1 Million

Reuters reported that a gem being referred to as “the ultimate 100-carat emerald-cut diamond” sold at a recent Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale for $22.1 million. It had been expected to go for up to $25 million.

As quoted in the market news:

The perfect classic emerald-cut D colour 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 a telephone bid. It had a presale estimate of $19-million to $25-million.

The $22.1-million price, which includes the buyer’s premium, fell short of the $30.6-million world record price paid for a 118.28 ct white diamond in Hong Kong in 2013. Sotheby’s said only six perfect diamonds weighing more than 100 ct had been sold at auction in the last 25 years.

Gary Schuler, head of Sotheby’s jewelry department in New York, commented:

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.

Click here to read the full Reuters report.