A 15.1-carat blue diamond set to go on auction in April could fetch upward of $48 million, according to officials at Sotheby’s, the auction house handling the diamond.
The De Beers Cullinan Blue, a fancy vivid blue diamond, was discovered in April 2021 at the South African Cullinan mine. That mine, according to Sotheby’s, is one of the few places in the world where rare blue gems have been found.
“Blue diamonds of any kind are rare on the market, but this is the rarest of the rare; nothing of remotely similar caliber has appeared at auction in recent years,” Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, said.
The diamond was cut from a 39.34-carat rough piece found in the mine and purchased by De Beers in 2008.
The diamond is one of several blue diamonds that have been up for auction in recent years, according to The Robb Report. The 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue diamond was sold for $57.5 million in 2016 and the Blue Moon of Josephine blue diamond was auctioned for $48.5 million in 2015.