Sky high bidding for ring-mounted by Cartier

For a barely noticeable US$25 million deduction from the petty cash float, this stunning blue diamond could prove a fine conversation piece at your next soirée or two. This particular gem – the Sky Blue Diamond – was the centrepiece of Sotheby’s Geneva branch sale of some of the world’s most precious of precious stones. Weighing in at a truly gaspworthy 8.01 carats, this mesmerising gem – ring-mounted by Cartier, who else? – has been accorded Fancy Vivid Blue status by the Gemological Institute of America, a very rare honour indeed. Its much sought-after hue marks it out as an exceedingly rare Type IIb, a rating merited by less than 0.5 percent of all of the diamonds ever unearthed.
Assessing the piece – and clearly more than a little star-struck himself – David Bennett, global chairman of Sotheby’s jewellery division, said: “The Sky Blue Diamond boasts a wonderfully clear celestial blue, presented in an extremely elegant square emerald cut. In my view, this is the most flattering of all the cuts for any coloured diamond.”