The yellow cushion-shaped gemstone is considered one of the largest in the world. It was mined in 1901 by DeBeers in South Africa and originally weighed around 375 carats. After cutting, the pattern of the pavilion’s facets formed a “Maltese cross”, and the weight of the diamond was 205 carats.
The Red Cross will go up for auction for the third time in over 100 years. The gem got its name after it was first auctioned in 1918. Proceeds from the sale went to the British Red Cross Society and the Order of Saint John, which uses the symbol of the Maltese Cross. The second sale took place in Geneva in 1973.
The current auction will take place on May 11: the seller announced that a “significant” part of the proceeds (according to experts, it could reach 10.7 million US dollars) will go to the International Red Cross.
Another “highlight” of the upcoming Christie’s auction will be a colorless pear-shaped diamond weighing 228.31 carats, which received the capacious name The Rock (from English – “Stone”). The unique specimen was mined over 20 years ago, like the first lot, in South Africa and will be the largest colorless diamond ever to be auctioned.
Although the gem’s characteristics fall short of flawless (VS 1 clarity and G color), the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) accompanied its official conclusion with the phrase that “this is the largest pear-shaped diamond in the DZ color gradation ever graded by the laboratory. [GIA]”.
The previous weight record was held by the 163.41 carat Art of de Grisogono colorless diamond, which was sold in 2017 for US$33.7 million. The original diamond weighed 404 carats and was mined in Angola in 2016.
The luxurious pear will be auctioned off by Magnificent Jewels along with The Red Cross. According to preliminary estimates, there is a cost of at least 30 million US dollars. However, many hope that The Rock will be able to beat the price record of the previous leader.