Last year, the largest D-color flawless diamond sold for nearly £8 million at Sotheby’s. Now, Christie’s might see a diamond being sold out for as much as £10 million when it goes on sale in London on December 10.
This extraordinary blue-grey diamond was given to Infanta Margarita Teresa by her father King Philip IV of Spain. This girl was the portrayed in Las Meninas, the famed painting by Spaniard Diego Velázquez. It is said that the Wittelsbach diamond is originated from the Indian diamond mines. It was then passed into the Austrian and then Bavarian crown jewels, before being sold into individual hands in 1931.
This stunning 35.56 carat gem is almost an inch across and is the star lot in Christie’s auction Jewels: The London Sale. The nearest comparable coloured diamond sold at Christie's was one just a third of the size, a 13.39 carat intense blue diamond that fetched $8.9 million (£5.5 million) in May.
François Curiel, chairman of Christie's Europe and its international head of jewellery, said: "It is a great honour and a lifetime dream to handle a museum quality stone such as the Wittelsbach.
"The appearance of a large blue diamond, among the rarest of colours, with a history that can be traced back to the 17th century and 300 years of royal connections will surely be a thrilling occasion for all collectors of exceedingly rare jewels and works of art."
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