Biggest ever white diamond auctioned: Key features & price
The Rock
The biggest white diamond ever auctioned sold for $18.8 million at Christie's auction house in Geneva.
The large diamond was extracted from a mine in South Africa in the early 2000s and has been shown in Dubai, Taipei and New York ahead of the sale in Geneva.
"The Rock" with its 228.31-carat stone, larger than a golf ball, is "a truly exceptional pear-shaped diamond", said Max Fawcett, head of the jewels department at Christie's auction house in Geneva.
Red Cross Diamond
The Rock was up for grabs alongside a historic intense yellow diamond associated for more than a century with the Red Cross, which will receive some of the profits from its sale.
The Red Cross Diamond is a cushion-shaped, 205.07-carat canary yellow jewel, which has a price estimate of $7.09 to $10.13 million.
A large chunk of the proceeds will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which is headquartered in Geneva.
As well as ranking among the largest diamonds in the world, a striking feature is its pavilion, which naturally bears the shape of a Maltese cross.
Christie's in London
The stone was first put up for sale on April 10, 1918 at Christie's in London. It was offered by the Diamond Syndicate in aid of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St John.
The Red Cross Diamond fetched approximately $740,000 in today's money. It was bought by the London jewellers S.J. Phillips.
It was sold again by Christie's in Geneva in 1973, fetching 1.8 million Swiss francs, and is now being offered by the auction house for a third time.
Ruby ring
The world record for a white diamond still stands at $33.7 million fetched in the Swiss city in 2017 for a 163.41-carat gem.
However, a rare 80.08 carats diamond and ruby ring by Chopard that Sotheby's estimated it could fetch $8 million didn't find a buyer at Geneva's auction. Sotheby’s estimated the ring between $7.5 and $9.6 million.
Impact of Russian invasion on Ukraine
The Russian invasion in Ukraine has had a major impact.
More than 40 percent of the world's diamonds are mined in Russia, including the famous Alrosa mine, but international markets no longer have access to Russian gems.
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