Latest news with #MediterraneanBlue
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Six Tips For Buying Diamonds From Expert Diamond Dealers
The Mediterranean Blue Diamond, sold for $21.2 million at Sotheby's Geneva May 2025. The Mediterranean Blue diamond became the highest-value diamond to sell at auction this year, when it went for $21.2 million at Sotheby's Geneva last week. Unearthed at the Cullinan mines in South Africa in 2024, the 10-carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond eventually sold to an American collector after a three-minute bidding battle. If you're thinking of adding to your own collection — albeit at a different price point — the diamond dealers of GemGenève gem and jewelry show have the insider knowledge you need. A Fancy Greenish-Yellow diamond was also on sale at Sotheby's Geneva earlier this month. Examine potential diamond purchases in good lighting with a loupe, noting shape, brilliance, color and any chips or damage. 'Before looking at any certification, you need to trust your eye. Do you like it? What does your gut feeling say?' asks Constantin Torroni, of Nicolas Torroni, an art, gemstones and jewelry dealer based in Geneva, Switzerland. A diamond's natural colors will show up well in daylight, whereas artificial light will affect how different highlights may appear. Reputable diamond dealers will be able to provide a diamond analysis report from an independent lab — look for expert organizations like the GIA, Gübelin, the BGI and the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF. 'A diamond grading report offers reassurance by guaranteeing the natural nature of a gemstone and providing details of its properties,' says Claudia Hamann, of Claudia Hamann Edelstein Double Rose gemstones. A old-cut diamond dated back to the Renaissance, approx. 3 carats, thought to have been cut by the ... More famous Venetian lapidiarist Vincenzo Peruzzi. White diamonds graded D, E or F may command the highest prices as 'investment diamonds', but according to Torroni, 'charming gemstones' with colored highlights, inclusions, and even minor damage might offer better value for money. In addition to having more perceived charm and character, their value will also hold up better in times of crisis, as they are less vulnerable to speculation, says Torroni. Original and new cuts mean fresh inspiration for jewelry designers and interesting acquisitions for collectors. Look beyond the traditional princess-cut stones, to geometric cuts (Asscher, emerald); fancy cuts (pear, marquise), or rarer cuts like Ashoka, a modified cushion cut. Hamann, a member of the International Colored Gemstones Association (ICGA), created the asymmetrical Double Rose cut a few years ago. Rose quartz, Malayan garnets, brilliant and Double Rose cut pink sapphires, by Claudia Hama ... More Edelstein. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Antique gems and diamonds, also known as 'old cuts', were hand-cut without modern machinery anything from one to four hundred years ago. With softer shapes and unique luminosity, these stones come into their own in gentle candlelight. 'Hand-cut diamonds are true works of artistry, redolent of history and expertise in a way that makes them truly unique,' say Alain Weinberger, Dean Köning and Julien Lorincz of Fima Diamonds. Experts can date these diamonds based on the quality of faceting, which tells us about the tools used. Precision-cut modern stones will all look very similar, while many collectors believe that old cuts possess their own special character because they were made by a craftsman using hand-tools. 'This artisanal dimension provides a blend of excellence and imperfection and is exceptional in every sense of the word,' say Weinberger, Köning and Lorincz, comparing the stones to standardized modern cuts. Diamonds from the Golconda mines are highly prized, as are Mazarin and Peruzzi antique cuts, both popular in the 17th century.
Kuwait Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Rare blue diamond fetches $21.5 million at auction in Geneva
An exceptionally-rare blue diamond went under the hammer in Geneva late Tuesday, selling for $21.5 million, Sotheby's auction house said." The Mediterranean Blue", a fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 10.3 carats with an estimated value of $20 million, attracted an intense bidding battle. Bidding began at nine million Swiss francs ($10.8 million), with a fierce back and forth before the diamond was ultimately sold to a private US collector, whose name was not given, for 17.9 million francs ($21.5 million), Sotheby's said. The Mediterranean Blue, which is a brand-new blue diamond recently mined from the legendary Cullinan mines of South Africa, generated huge excitement within the diamond industry ever since it was first announced in March, the auction house said. A Sotheby's employee displays the 10.03-carat 'Mediterranean Blue' diamond ring during a preview ahead of a public exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of its final showing in Geneva on Tuesday, it was unveiled as part of a Sotheby's debut exhibition in Abu Dhabi last month, where it was showcased alongside seven other "extraordinary" diamonds and gemstones collectively worth over $100 million. "At the top of the rarity pyramid are blue diamonds," Quig Bruning, head of jewels for Sotheby's in North America, Europe and the Middle East, said at the Abu Dhabi show. After serving as auctioneer at Tuesday's event, he hailed the gem as "undoubtedly the defining stone of the season", saying in a statement that it "ranks among the top blue diamonds we have sold". Tobias Kormind, head of Europe's largest online diamond jeweller 77 Diamonds, was less upbeat, describing the sale as "less dazzling than anticipated". "The diamond did exceed its $20 million estimate, suggesting there was meaningful interest," he acknowledged. "But broader uncertainty, including the ongoing US-China trade tensions, may have dampened bidder confidence and muted what could have been a more frenzied atmosphere." — AFP
Express Tribune
15-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Blue diamond purchased at steep USD 21.5 million
An exceptionally-rare blue diamond went under the hammer in Geneva late Tuesday, selling for $21.5 million, Sotheby's auction house said. 'The Mediterranean Blue', a fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 10.3 carats with an estimated value of $20 million, attracted an intense bidding battle. Bidding began at nine million Swiss francs ($10.8 million), with a fierce back and forth before the diamond was ultimately sold to a private US collector, whose name was not given, for 17.9 million francs ($21.5 million), Sotheby's said. The Mediterranean Blue, which is a brand-new blue diamond recently mined from the legendary Cullinan mines of South Africa, generated huge excitement within the diamond industry ever since it was first announced in March, the auction house said. Ahead of its final showing in Geneva on Tuesday, it was unveiled as part of a Sotheby's debut exhibition in Abu Dhabi last month, where it was showcased alongside seven other "extraordinary" diamonds and gemstones collectively worth over $100 million. "At the top of the rarity pyramid are blue diamonds," Quig Bruning, head of jewels for Sotheby's in North America, Europe and the Middle East, said at the Abu Dhabi show. After serving as auctioneer at Tuesday's event, he hailed the gem as "undoubtedly the defining stone of the season", saying in a statement that it "ranks among the top blue diamonds we have sold". Tobias Kormind, head of Europe's largest online diamond jeweller 77 Diamonds, was less upbeat, describing the sale as "less dazzling than anticipated". "The diamond did exceed its $20 million estimate, suggesting there was meaningful interest," he acknowledged. "But broader uncertainty, including the ongoing US-China trade tensions, may have dampened bidder confidence and muted what could have been a more frenzied atmosphere." afp
Daily Tribune
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
Rare blue diamond fetches $21.5 m at auction in Geneva
An exceptionally-rare blue diamond went under the hammer in Geneva late Tuesday, selling for $21.5 million, Sotheby's auction house said. "The Mediterranean Blue", a fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 10.3 carats with an estimated value of $20 million, attracted an intense bidding battle. Bidding began at nine million Swiss francs ($10.8 million), with a fierce back and forth before the diamond was ultimately sold to a private US collector, whose name was not given, for 17.9 million francs ($21.5 million), Sotheby's said. The Mediterranean Blue, which is a brand-new blue diamond recently mined from the legendary Cullinan mines of South Africa, generated huge excitement within the diamond industry ever since it was first announced in March, the auction house said. Ahead of its final showing in Geneva on Tuesday, it was unveiled as part of a Sotheby's debut exhibition in Abu Dhabi last month, where it was showcased alongside seven other "extraordinary" diamonds and gemstones collectively worth over $100 million. "At the top of the rarity pyramid are blue diamonds," Quig Bruning, head of jewels for Sotheby's in North America, Europe and the Middle East, said at the Abu Dhabi show. After serving as auctioneer at Tuesday's event, he hailed the gem as "undoubtedly the defining stone of the season", saying in a statement that it "ranks among the top blue diamonds we have sold". Tobias Kormind, head of Europe's largest online diamond jeweller 77 Diamonds, was less upbeat, describing the sale as "less dazzling than anticipated". "The diamond did exceed its $20 million estimate, suggesting there was meaningful interest," he acknowledged.
Ammon
15-05-2025
- Business
- Ammon
Rare blue diamond fetches $21.5 mn at auction in Geneva
Ammon News - An exceptionally-rare blue diamond went under the hammer in Geneva late Tuesday, selling for $21.5 million, Sotheby's auction house said. "The Mediterranean Blue", a fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 10.3 carats with an estimated value of $20 million, attracted an intense bidding battle. Bidding began at nine million Swiss francs ($10.8 million), with a fierce back and forth before the diamond was ultimately sold to a private US collector, whose name was not given, for 17.9 million francs ($21.5 million), Sotheby's said. The Mediterranean Blue, which is a brand-new blue diamond recently mined from the legendary Cullinan mines of South Africa, generated huge excitement within the diamond industry ever since it was first announced in March, the auction house said. Ahead of its final showing in Geneva on Tuesday, it was unveiled as part of a Sotheby's debut exhibition in Abu Dhabi last month, where it was showcased alongside seven other "extraordinary" diamonds and gemstones collectively worth over $100 million. "At the top of the rarity pyramid are blue diamonds," Quig Bruning, head of jewels for Sotheby's in North America, Europe and the Middle East, said at the Abu Dhabi show. AFP After serving as auctioneer at Tuesday's event, he hailed the gem as "undoubtedly the defining stone of the season", saying in a statement that it "ranks among the top blue diamonds we have sold". Tobias Kormind, head of Europe's largest online diamond jeweller 77 Diamonds, was less upbeat, describing the sale as "less dazzling than anticipated". "The diamond did exceed its $20 million estimate, suggesting there was meaningful interest," he acknowledged. "But broader uncertainty, including the ongoing US-China trade tensions, may have dampened bidder confidence and muted what could have been a more frenzied atmosphere."
