SOTHEBY'S TO AUCTION THE 12-CARAT BLUE DIAMOND CALLED BLUE MOON AS SUCH A RARE DIAMOND APPEARS FOR SALE ONLY ONCE IN A BLUE MOON AND ONLY JESUS AND BUDDHA KNOW WHEN A BIGGER, BETTER BLUE DIAMOND WILL APPEAR NEXT! SO BUY IT NOW FOR RM 232 MILLION!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
       
Sotheby’s To Offer the Sensational BLUE MOON BLUE DIAMOND!

THE BLUE MOON BLUE DIAMOND! IF YOU ARE SUPER LUCKY, YOU CAN BID FOR IT FOR RM 148 MILLION BUT IF NOT, EXPECT TO PAY RM 232 MILLION! WORSE, YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY THE 15% OR IS IT 20% COMMISSION TO AUCTION HOUSE SOTHEBY'S AS THEIR SALARIES AND PROMOTIONS MUST BE PAID.

- At 12.03 Carats, the Blue Moon Is the Largest Cushion-Shaped Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond Ever To Appear at Auction - - Internally Flawless Clarity and With Truly Outstanding Colour-    
Image courtesy of the Gemological Institute of America  

Hong Kong Public Exhibition:  2 – 6 October │ Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre  

 “While any diamond with natural blue coloration is a rare discovery, some are so exceptional that they emerge only once in a lifetime. The Blue Moon Diamond is one of those remarkable occurrences.” 

GIA Monograph written for the Blue Moon Diamond, 2015  

Sotheby’s is delighted to present the extraordinary Blue Moon Diamond, among the largest known fancy vivid blue diamonds, which will be the centrepiece of the auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva on 11 November 2015.  

This exquisite diamond weighs 12.03 carats and has been graded Fancy Vivid Blue – the highest possible colour grading for blue diamonds -- by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The cushion brilliant-cut stone also boasts exceptional clarity, having been declared Internally Flawless by the GIA. 

This stunningly rare diamond comes to the market with an estimate of US$35-55 million

Announcing the sale of the Blue Moon Diamond, David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, commented: “The tremendous excitement last year over the discovery of a 29.62-carat blue rough diamond at the Cullinan mine in South Africa has now been proved to have been totally justified.  

"Weighing in at 12.03 carats, the ‘Blue Moon’ diamond is a simply sensational stone of perfect colour and purity, combined with a superb cushion shape.  Blue, for me, is the most mysterious and magical of all the colours of diamond, and the Blue Moon will now take its place among the most famous gems in the world.”  

The announcement by Petra Diamonds (owners of the famous Cullinan Mine in South Africa) that it had discovered a 29.62-carat rough blue diamond prompted a press sensation in January 2014.  

This historic mine is one of very few reliable sources in the world for blue diamonds, but these highly rare gems still only account for a minute fraction of the diamonds unearthed at the mine.  The magnificent rough was purchased, through a competitive tender organised by Petra Diamonds Limited, by New York-based Cora International.  

Cora International is headquartered on Fifth Avenue in New York City.  Cora is a leading luxury brand and is considered one of the world’s leading firms specializing in cutting large and important diamonds.  

Cora is known worldwide for its rare and unique diamonds of large sizes and vivid fancy colours.  It has cut and polished the Blue Moon – a highly skilled and complex process which took over six months. 
  
The Blue Moon Diamond’s name refers to the expression ‘once in a blue moon’, which is used to describe something which happens only extremely rarely.   
   
A blue diamond is created when boron is mixed with carbon during the gem’s formation. Scientists from the National Gem and Mineral Collection at the Smithsonian Institution were fascinated by the extreme rarity of the Blue Moon. 

They were able to study the diamond ahead of its being exhibited in the Gem Vault of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. 

 It has been reported that, under testing, they observed that the colour of the Blue Moon is “true and saturated” throughout the diamond, with no other colours present.  Dr Eloïse Gaillou, Mineral and Gem Curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, noted the “intense ocean blue color” and placed the Blue Moon “on the top of the rare list due to its color, clarity and size”.  

According to the GIA Monograph, the hue of the Blue Moon diamond is “likely to have never before been seen within such a large diamond, or any gemstone”, and “could be indescribable to even the most experienced diamantaire or colour theorist; some, however, liken it to the ocean”.  

EXHIBITION CALENDAR FOR THE BLUE MOON DIAMOND  Hong Kong (Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre) │2 – 6 October London │18 – 22 October New York │30 October – 1 November  

SOTHEBY’S AND EXCEPTIONAL DIAMONDS  
World Record Price for a Diamond Sotheby’s Geneva has a distinguished and successful history of selling exceptional diamonds under the hammer of David Bennett.  

In November 2010 at Sotheby’s Geneva, The Graff Pink - a Fancy Intense Pink Diamond weighing 24.78 carats, sold for US$46,158,674 (US$1,862,739 per carat) – establishing a new world auction record for a diamond and any jewel.   

World Record Price for a Blue Diamond 
*******************************
Sotheby’s is also extremely proud to hold the world auction record for a blue diamond, which was established by the Zoe Diamond, a Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond weighing 9.75 carats, sold for US$32,645,000 at Sotheby’s New York in November 2014.  The stone also set a new world auction record per carat for any diamond, at US$3,348,205 per carat.  

Other Exceptional Diamonds sold at Sotheby’s  
A Magnificent Oval Diamond of Supreme Importance A 118.28-carat, D colour, Flawless, Type IIa stone  Sotheby’s Hong Kong, October 2013 WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A COLOURLESS DIAMOND  Sold for HK$238,680,000 / US$30,600,000 (US$220,459 per carat)  

A Spectacular Emerald-Cut Diamond An emerald-cut diamond weighing 100.20 carats; D colour, Internally Flawless, Type lla Sotheby’s New York, April 2015 Sold for US$22,090,000 (US$220,459 per carat)  

A Superb 8.41-carat Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink Diamond Sotheby’s Hong Kong, October 2014 WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A FANCY VIVID PURPLE-PINK DIAMOND Sold for HK$137,880,000 / US$17,768,041 (US$2,112,728 per carat)  

The Star of the Season Pear-shaped colourless diamond weighing 100.10 carats; D colour, Internally Flawless  Sotheby’s Geneva, May 1995 Sold for US$16,548,750 (US$165,322 per carat)  

The Graff Vivid Yellow Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond weighing 100.09 carats, VS2 Clarity  Sotheby’s Geneva, May 2014 WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A YELLOW DIAMOND AND FOR ANY JEWEL BY GRAFF Sold for US$16,347,847 (US$163,331 per carat)  

The Chloe Diamond Brilliant-cut diamond weighing 84.37 carats; D colour, Flawless, Triple-X  Sotheby’s Geneva, November 2007,  Sold for US$16,189,769 (US$191,890 per carat)  

Estimates do not include buyer’s premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium.