$20 million ‘Mediterranean Blue Diamond' ready to wow at Sotheby's Geneva auction on May 13
Source: Reuters
Sotheby's
auction house in Geneva on May 8, 2025, unveiled the breathtaking 10-carat "
Mediterranean Blue Diamond
," which is expected to set a record $20 million price at auction later this month. The diamond has made a name for itself because of its incredible size and extraordinary color, fascinating collectors, investors, and gem enthusiasts globally.
With anticipation building leading up to the sale, the diamond remains top international news, further increasing its mystique. Its arrival has created strong interest, highlighting the increasing demand for rare and valuable gemstones in the luxury market.
Rare blue diamond set to command $20 million as global interest peaks
The Mediterranean Blue Diamond is a 10-carat cushion-cut blue diamond that resides in South Africa, a nation that is reputed to produce some of the world's most beautiful diamonds.
The diamond is a "fancy vivid blue" diamond, so much so that it is noted as having a dark, rich, and very highly prized color.
Blue diamonds, particularly "fancy vivid" blue diamonds, are internationally famous as being extremely scarce and wonderfully different. The Mediterranean Blue Diamond is rare not only due to size but also because of the integrity of the color, which happens to be among the bluest in the entire world.
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The hue of these diamonds comes as a result of the presence of the trace element boron, which colors the crystal lattice its vivid blue hue.
This unusual property renders this diamond highly in demand among top-tier jewelry investors and collectors within the market.
The international market for fancy-color diamonds has expanded exponentially in recent years, and blue diamonds, as rare and precious as they are, are one of the most desirable categories.
Sotheby's Jessica Wyndham reported the reversal of market trend: "The coloured diamond market is going from strength to strength." Strong demand is being driven by a wide range of reasons that vary from increasingly affluent collectors seeking diversification to increasing demand for exotic and unusual gemstones.
Wyndham also demonstrated her belief in the value of the Mediterranean Blue Diamond, which will command around $20 million, a sum both establishing the singular quality of the stone as well as the state of the prevailing market.
The diamond will most probably be best selling to further solidify the blue diamond as a high-profit-making and strongly desired investment option for luxury consumers.
Mediterranean blue diamond joins the ranks of record-breaking colored gems
Blue Diamond Mediterranean is not the first of its kind to be made to sell at auction. The highest price paid for a deep blue diamond was achieved in 2016 when a very fine blue diamond sold for 56.8 million Swiss francs ($68.7 million) in a Christie's sale in Geneva.
The sale was a landmark for the market in coloured diamonds, being the growing value of the category. With comparison to its erstwhile counterpart, which had once been sold for a higher amount, the Mediterranean Blue Diamond truly deserves every amount for the value that it can deliver.
With the ever-climbing tendency of colored diamond values, such an assurance provides that demand surpasses supply and thus future bidding interest remains heightened even more.
Mediterranean blue diamond headlines Sotheby's exclusive Geneva auction
Mediterranean Blue Diamond is at the helm of Sotheby's high-jewelry auction that is to take place live in Geneva on May 13. Mandarin Oriental Hotel sale will present an interesting array of rare and valuable gemstones like diamonds, coloured stones, and other high jewellery items. The sale is evidence of rising interest in coloured gemstones with lots like the Mediterranean Blue Diamond turning out to be the sale's crown jewel.
Before it happened, the auction, that is, Sotheby's revealed the collection to the collectors and the press first and more intensely researched the gems going to auction. This time around, only a selective number of buyers, ranging from individual collectors to investors wanting to scoop up a unique and valuable piece or two, will populate the auction hall.
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