Blue diamond soars to world record $57.6 million at Christie's
Source: Reuters
The "Oppenheimer Blue", a large and rare diamond, sold for 56.837 million Swiss francs ($57.6 million) at auction on Wednesday, setting a world record for any gem after a dramatic see-saw bidding process, Christie's in Geneva said.
"It's the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction," Christie's spokeswoman Alexandra Kindermann told Reuters.
The previous record was held by the "Blue Moon Diamond", sold at rival Sotheby's for $48.6 million last November. The new Hong Kong owner renamed that stone the "Blue Moon Josephine".
The Oppenheimer, the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction, is a rectangular diamond weighing 14.62 carats that previously belonged to Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London. It had a pre-sale estimate of $38 million-$45 million.
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