The 15.10-carat diamond is predicted to sell for more than $66.5 million. 9News
The 15.10-carat De Beers Cullinan Blue diamond was mined in 2021 at South Africa's Cullinan Mine and is predicted to sell for more than US$48 million .
Sotheby's senior vice president and sales director for jewellery Frank Everett said the jewel is remarkable on many levels."It's rare because of the size," he said."And really one of the most rare aspects of it is the cut."The market is very strong for jewellery at the moment, has been really for the last several years, but one of the strongest segments is coloured diamonds.
According to the Gemological Institute of America , the stone has been graded fancy vivid blue - the highest possible colour grading, awarded to no more than one per cent of blue diamonds submitted to the GIA.The diamond is bigger than the Oppenheimer Blue, a 14.62-carat stone that set the world record price for a blue diamond at auction in May 2016 when it sold for US$57.5 million .
Earlier this month, Sotheby's in London sold the Enigma - the largest cut diamond ever to come to auction 555.55 carats - for £3.16 million .