On the Block

“I’ll take mine on the Rocks!”

Quite literally, an egg- sized diamond hit the block at Christie’s in Geneva, Switzerland on April 28th, 2022, dubbed “The Rock”. The pear-shaped diamond, VS1 clarity, weighing 228.31 carats hammered down at a whopping $21,894,082 falling within estimate. Rahul Kadakia International head of jewelry at Christie’s stated “This exceptionally rare gemstone was mined and polished in South Africa over two decades ago and is the largest white diamond ever to appear at auction. The final lot of the auction presented another extraordinary gemstone of over 200 carats, the sensational Red Cross Diamond. It was a privilege to present this legendary stone, which was first sold at Christie’s in 1918 as part of the Red Cross Appeal. We are delighted that a significant share of the proceeds will benefit the humanitarian efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross.”. Over a century since that first sale, the diamond sold after 11 minutes of competitive bidding for $14,320,624, a world auction record for a fancy intense yellow diamond. ☐