Jesse James
The good folk over at Christie’s are back as they prep to sell the largest diamond in auction history. “The Rock” is a 228.31-carat stone with an estimated value of $20 million USD to $30 million USD. The stone has passed through three previous owners’ hands, and now it can be yours. Christie’s first heard of the stone from its original owner around two decades ago and was involved in the first sale of the stone.
Rahul Kadakia told Robb Report, “I’ve been at Christie’s for 25 years, and Christie’s has been around for 256 years, and in all of this time, this is the largest white diamond that’s ever come up for sale at auction.” Kadakia also spoke about the background of the sale, stating, “The current owner decided that the market is quite healthy, which is true. The diamond market is in a particularly active space right now. Our auction sales last year doubled the sales from 2020.”
“The Rock” is a pear-shaped diamond mined and polished in South Africa. The VS1 clarity stone is reportedly the largest existing D-Z color pear-shaped diamond ever graded by the GIA laboratory. The largest diamond previously sold at Christie’s was a 163.41-carat diamond that garnered a $33,701,000 USD in 2017.
Kadakia added, “What’s rare apart from the size — it’s so large, the size of an egg.” He further added, “Let’s say you have five collectors trying to buy the stone, and the day after the sale and one of those clients that didn’t buy it comes back and says, ‘Look, buyer’s remorse. Can you find me another stone?’ It took us 256 years to find one. Where is the other stone? I don’t know. That’s what’s rare about it.”
Check out “The Rock” in the image up top and head over to Christie’s to find out more information immediately. In the meantime, keep it locked with The Culture Curators for more lifestyle news coming very soon.
Photos via Christie’s
