Blue Diamond Smashes Pre-Auction Estimate

The largest fancy vivid blue diamond to ever come to auction sold Tuesday for more than $44 million, far outstripping the pre-sale estimate, Christie's said. The "Bleu Royal"—a ring featuring a fancy vivid blue pear-shaped diamond of 17.61 carats—was one of the standout pieces to go under the hammer at the auction house for Geneva's Luxury Week, the AP reports. Christie's had estimated the ring would fetch around $35 million. The auction house said the sale made the "Bleu Royal" the most expensive jewel sold at auction this year. The perfectly symmetrical diamond with flawless purity has been part of a private collection for decades; this was its first time being sold at auction, and Christie's says the anonymous buyer is adding it to their own private collection, Barron's reports.

"This is a true miracle of nature," Rahul Kadakia, Christie's international head of jewelry, said in a press release. "Over our 257-year long history Christie's has had the privilege of offering the world's rarest gems at auction, and Bleu Royal continues this tradition. We are proud to offer collectors the opportunity to own a diamond fit for royalty." Just three fancy vivid blue diamonds have previously been auctioned by Christie's.

(More Christie's stories.)