Sotheby’s Geneva To Offer Three Exceptional Diamonds at May Auction

(IDEX Online) – Sotheby’s Geneva will present three exceptional diamonds in its May 13 auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels. 

The highest-selling item is likely to be the Graff Vivid Yellow, “a sensational daffodil yellow diamond” weighing 100.09 carats and mounted as a ring, Sotheby’s said.

“Of exceptional beauty and extraordinary fire and brilliance, this gem is among the largest Fancy Vivid Yellow diamonds in the world,” the auctioneer said in a statement.

The diamond has a pre-sale estimate of $14.8 million to $24.9 million.

In addition, a Spectacular Diamond Ring by Graff, set with a round brilliant-cut diamond, which at 103.46 carats is one of the largest known round diamonds, will also come under the hammer.

Sotheby’s said the gem appears on the list of the World’s Largest Cut Diamonds in Famous Diamonds (2008), and has a pre-sale estimate of $3.47 million to $4.96 million.

The third major diamond to be offered is the so-called Victory Diamond, named in honor of the allies’ victory in World War II. A step-cut diamond weighing 31.34 carats, the rough from which it was derived was discovered in 1945 in the Woyie River in Africa.

At the time, it was the largest alluvial rough diamond ever found, weighing 770 carats. In the early 1950s, 30 diamonds were cut from it, with the largest gem being the Victory Diamond.

The stone is GIA graded as D color and Potentially Flawless, and is a rare Type IIa stone.

Sotheby’s said the Victory Diamond formerly belonged to Florence Gould, a collector of jewelry of the 20th century. It has a pre-sale estimate of $4.96 million to $7.95 million.