Categories: International

Biggest White Diamond Ever ‘The Rock’ Sold For $18.8 Million

The Rock, the world’s largest white diamond, was auctioned for 18.6 million Swiss francs ($18.8 million), significantly less than the previous record for such a gem. Christie’s auction house in Geneva sold the 228.31-carat stone, which was larger than a golf ball. The Rock had high aspirations of breaking the global record for a white diamond, which stands at $33.7 million for a 163.41-carat rock sold in the Swiss city in 2017.

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Key Points:

The bidding began at 14 million francs and ended at 18.6 million francs after two minutes, however the price will rise after taxes and the buyer’s premium are factored in.
The estimated pre-sale value was between 19 and 30 million Swiss francs.
The Rock, a flawlessly symmetrical pear-shaped diamond, belonged to an unidentified North American owner. Following the events at the Hotel des Bergues, it was purchased by a telephone bidder.
Only a few diamonds of equal size and quality exist, according to Max Fawcett, head of the jewels department at Christie’s auction house in Geneva.
The huge diamond was discovered in a South African mine in the early 2000s and has been on display in Dubai, Taipei, and New York before being sold in Geneva.
An historic bright yellow diamond associated for more than a century with the Red Cross will be auctioned off later in the Magnificent Jewel auction.
The Red Cross Diamond is a 205.07-carat cushion-shaped canary diamond.

The Red Cross Diamond is a cushion-shaped, 205.07-carat canary yellow gem with a price range of $7.09 to $10.13 million Swiss francs.

History of “The Rock”:

The original raw stone, estimated to weigh roughly 375 carats, was discovered in a De Beers mine in South Africa in 1901.
Its pavilion, which is naturally shaped like a Maltese cross, is a distinctive feature in addition to being one of the world’s largest diamonds.
Christie’s in London first offered the stone for sale on April 10, 1918. It was donated to the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St John by the Diamond Syndicate.
The Red Cross Diamond was sold for £10,000, or around £600,000 ($740,000) today. S.J. Phillips, a London jeweller, purchased it.
Christie’s in Geneva sold it again in 1973, for 1.8 million Swiss francs.
Christie’s sold it again in Geneva in 1973 for 1.8 million Swiss francs, and it is now being offered for a third time by the auction house.
A tiara that belonged to Princess Irma of Furstenberg (1867-1948), a member of one of the Habsburg Empire’s most illustrious aristocratic families, is also up for sale.
It’s expected to sell for between 400,000 and 600,000 Swiss francs.