Rare blue diamond sells for record $9.5 million

Reuters ^ | Wed May 13, 2009 | Stephanie Nebehay

[nickcarraway]

A flawless vivid blue diamond weighing 7.03 carats sold on Tuesday for a record 10.5 million Swiss francs (6.2 million pounds), the highest price paid per carat for any gemstone at auction, Sotheby's said.

The rectangular-shaped blue stone, the rarest to enter the international market this year, went to an anonymous buyer bidding by telephone after hectic bidding see-sawed between two callers for 15 minutes.

It was the centrepiece of its semi-annual sale in Geneva, conducted by David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's jewellery department in Europe and the Middle East, who said the results showed the market's resilience despite the economic downturn.

"This is already a new world record price for a fancy vivid blue diamond and a new world record per carat for any gemstone (at auction)," Bennett told reporters.

"It is fantastic in this market and shows that these rare things are very much in demand," he said.

[JoeProBono]

[ottbmare]

This thread is worthless without pictures. (If you guys can say it about beautiful women, we female freepers can say it about beautiful gemstones.)

[nickcarraway]

[kellynla]

gezzzzzzzzzz...I had a whole can of Blue Diamonds for less than 4 bucks...LOL

[savedbygrace]

[Grammy]

That’s a pretty modest setting for that kind of stone.

[ottbmare]

Nothing I like better than jewelry porn, unless it’s architecture porn! Thanks for posting this.

[MHGinTN]

Gun porn ‘s the best.

[TomasUSMC]

The South African got 25 more just like that one.....in safe keeping.

[nickcarraway]

Well, looking at Jewels isn't immoral.

[skimask]

A blue diamond has one atom of Boron...a yellow diamond has one atom of Benzine.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Don’t tell my wife. She thinks I’m going to buy it for her. I want to be the one to tell her that somebody beat me to it, but I was thinking of her.

[Axenolith]

Man, that’s some expensive industrial abrasive...

[STARWISE]

Guess the economy's not so bad for some. The prices paid for the long list of impressive jewels are incredible.

Video of preview and details

Video of auction

I think I need this set:

Including the tiara ... ;)

[TheBattman]

I think maybe the idea was to let the stone speak for itself -

[Freedom4US]

Ha ha, I bet the guy got rooked - it’s really cubic zirconia.

[STARWISE]

Don’t bet too much ........ ;)

[cynwoody]

Man, that’s some expensive industrial abrasive...

Ah, but it's got just the right contaminants. LOL!

You can produce much more impressive results in the lab. Example:

[goat granny]

I know you would win, but I'd arm rassel you for them...I alway had a fantasy of have a champagne glass full of cut unset diamonds...I think death will come first... When I was working as St Joseph hospital, on Christmas when Santa came to the cafeteria to ask us all what we wanted for Christmas, I told him a Champagne glass full of unset cut diamonds and he almost lost his beard laughing.

[Axenolith]

Oh, I know. I actually have some respect for the colored ones, but, AFAIC, clear ones are monopolized bunk.

Granted, I won’t “throw em back” if I find them detecting or watching the ground (my two best finds, 14K white gold with 18 diamonds and platinum with 7 were made by the MK II eyeball), but I’d definitely be more stoked over a good aquamarine, emerald or sapphire.

A guy on our forum found one with a 4+ carat rock in it couple of weeks ago, it’s amazing how people will shell out for this type of stuff and not have it engraved with something to assist the returns!

[STARWISE]

We can always dream ........ ;)

[goat granny]

I’ll click on my account and look at them daily...thanks..:O)

[goat granny]

A couple of weeks back myself 2 of my kids and my favorite son-in-law went to Diamond Crater State Park in Arkansas, didn't find any but it is hard work and most of the counties around there are dry. We had to drive 50 miles so my son could get some beer....2 weeks earlier a guy found a canary over 2 carets...I should have brought back the paper with his picture on it..

[Cobra64]

Gun porn ‘s the best.

Here ya go. My brand new Dan Wesson 1911 Custom Valor with bobtail.

[Vinnie]

Drool, that’s a jewel.

[this_ol_patriot]

It’s a fugazi.
Forget about it.

LOL

[maggief]

Did J Lo auction off her Bennifer pink diamond? LOL

[penelopesire]

Nice! Probably a better investment than the stock market right now...lol. I use to love to watch that ‘Cash and Treasure’ show on the travel channel with Kirsten Gum. She goes all around the country digging for gems and other natural stones. My dream stone would be a large pink tourmaline. Saw one a few years ago at Tiffany’s selling for about 60 grand(out of my league)...lol.

[ottbmare]

Gun porn ‘s the best.

I love gun porn too, but also horse porn and house porn. I can waste hours on online ads for Virginia country estates for sale, complete with virtual tours and in-depth looks at the furniture and art.

[Big Giant Head]

Dude, that’s not only gun porn, that’s camera porn. Great photos.

[DocRock]

From the photos, this stone appears much more vivid blue than the Hope Diamond.

[Frogtacos]

Best of both worlds!

[MHGinTN]

{{ sigh }}

[MHGinTN]

Naw, not a good use of diamonds, and the caliber has to be .22 or less at that size. Nothing to snort about.

[MHGinTN]

But thanks for the pix ... I know someone who won’t believe it until I show her the pix!

[lilylangtree]

And one more time—”diamonds are a girl’s best friend”.

[Cobra64]

Thanks guys. The Valor is a great shooter.

[Cobra64]

That gun is appropriate for these guys...

Driving this...

[mysterio]

Nice looking stone.