Vivid blue diamond sells for more than $44 million at Christie’s auction

The largest internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond ever put up for auction sold Tuesday for $43.8 million at an auction held by Christie’s.

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The diamond, a 17.6-carat vivid blue one called “Bleu Royal,” was set in a ring, according to Reuters.

“The stone made almost $44 million,” said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s international head of jewelry. The estimated value of the diamond was up to $50 million before the sale.

“It’s a huge amount of money, given what’s going on in the world today.” Max Fawcett, head of Christie’s jewelry department in Geneva said

“It really ticked all the boxes, which is why we managed to excite collectors all around the world, all the way from the Far East, also to America,” Fawcett said. “We’re extremely delighted with the result.”

While the diamond was the highest single item, the company said all the items auctioned on Tuesday at the sale totaled more than $77 million.

“It’s clear that the market is still very strong in certain areas,” Fawcett said.