Today's Edition
A.SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
A rare 10.03-carat blue diamond, valued at $20 million, will go on display in Abu Dhabi on April 8 ahead of its sale in Geneva on May 13.
The cushion-shaped gem, named The Mediterranean Blue, will be unveiled at a special exhibition hosted at the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation on Saadiyat Island, Sotheby’s, the organisers, announced.
The media unveiling will take place on April 8, followed by an exhibition open to the public on April 8 and 9. It is free for anyone to attend, with no registration required, the organisers told Aletihad.
Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s Head of Jewellery for the Americas & EMEA, described the diamond as one of nature’s rarest finds, stating: “The Mediterranean Blue represents one of nature’s rarest gems. Any vivid blue diamond is a discovery worth celebrating, but one as entrancing as this, particularly being over 10-carats, is a newsworthy event. We are likewise thrilled to be announcing this sale in the extraordinary confines of the Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, the architectural beauty of which is a perfect match for such a rare gemstone.”
Following its debut in Abu Dhabi, “The Mediterranean Blue” will embark on an exhibition tour covering Taipei, Hong Kong, and New York before its auction in Geneva.
The diamond was cut from a 31.94-carat rough stone unearthed from South Africa’s famed Cullinan mine in 2023.
Sotheby’s said: “After a meticulous planning and cutting process lasting six months, ‘The Mediterranean Blue’ was shaped into a cushion modified brilliant, honouring the gem’s status as both a timeless relic and a contemporary masterpiece.”
The Cullinan mine has produced some of the world’s most remarkable diamonds, including the 530-carat “Great Star of Africa”, the largest faceted colourless diamond ever discovered.
Other extraordinary blue diamonds from the mine include “The Blue Moon of Josephine”, a 12.03-carat cushion-shaped Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond, which fetched $48.5 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in 2015. More recently, “The De Beers Blue”, a 15.10-carat step-cut Fancy Vivid Blue diamond, was sold for $57.5 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2022.
