Editor’s Note
A rare piece of Indian royal history, the 23.24-carat ‘Golconda Blue’ diamond, will be offered at auction in Geneva on May 14. This is the first time the magnificent stone, now set in a ring by Parisian jeweler JAR, has come to market, with an estimated value of $35-50 million.
A diamond from India’s royal heritage, the ‘Golconda Blue’, is going up for auction for the first time. This is a 23.24-carat brilliant blue diamond, set into a beautiful ring by the famous Parisian jewelry designer JAR.
It will be auctioned on May 14 in Geneva by the auction house Christie’s. Its price is estimated to be between 300 to 430 crore rupees (35 to 50 million dollars). Christie’s says that such special and royal diamonds very rarely come up for sale.
They have previously auctioned some other historic Golconda diamonds, such as the Archduke Joseph, the Princie, and the Wittelsbach diamonds.
This pear-shaped diamond is linked to Indian royalty. According to Christie’s, this diamond was in the possession of Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar (Indore). Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar was known for his luxurious and international lifestyle in the 1920s-30s.
This diamond was among the Indore Pears diamonds purchased by Yashwant Rao’s father from the famous Parisian jewelry brand Chaumet. In 1923, he had his 23-carat pear-shaped blue diamond set by Chaumet to create a bracelet.
In 1933, Maharaja Yashwant Rao appointed Mauboussin as his official jeweler. Mauboussin reshaped his jewels into new designs. He created a long necklace that included both the Golconda Blue and the Indore Pears.
It was worn by the Maharani of Indore, whose portrait was painted by the famous painter Bernard Boutet de Monvel.
The famous American jeweler Harry Winston, known as the King of Diamonds, purchased the Indore Pears in 1946 and the Blue Diamond in 1947. He later set it into a brooch. This also included a 23-carat white diamond. This brooch was later purchased by the Maharaja of Baroda. Subsequently, Harry Winston repurchased it and sold it again with a new design.
After nearly 80 years, it is now once again going up for public auction.
