Editor’s Note
A 9.75-carat blue diamond, once owned by an American billionaire’s widow, has shattered records at auction. The gem sold for $32.6 million at Sotheby’s—more than double its pre-sale estimate—setting a new all-time high price per carat for any blue diamond sold at auction.
A rare blue diamond once owned by an American billionaire’s widow has set a new all-time high price at auction.
On the 20th (local time), Sotheby’s auction house in the United States announced that “a 9.75-carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond was sold for $32.6 million (approximately 36.3 billion won), more than double its estimated price.”
This diamond, which set the record for the highest price ever paid for a blue diamond, was owned by Rachel Mellon, the widow of the world-renowned billionaire Paul Mellon (1907–1999). It was put up for sale by the foundation after her passing in March, and its rarity and the fame of its previous owner contributed to the exceptionally high selling price.
The previous record for the highest price paid for a blue diamond was held by the ‘Wittelsbach-Graff’ diamond, purchased by the famous British jeweler Laurence Graff in 2008 for $24.3 million.
