Fine Jewellery

Wednesday 24 April 2013, at 2pm New Bond Street, London

An Important Fancy Deep-Blue Diamond

Blue diamonds are extraordinarily rare. Over the past ten years fewer than thirty blue diamonds over ve carats have appeared at auction worldwide. If you compare this with the tens of thousands of colourless or white diamonds that have been sold in the same period, one can appreciate the excitement the appearance of a previously unrecorded blue diamond generates when it appears on the auction market. The blue diamond offered here, weighs 5.30 carats, and has never been offered at auction before. The blue colour in the diamond is caused by trace elements of boron, classing it as Type IIb. Boron causes blue diamonds to become semi-conductors of electricity and the blue colour intensies when the diamond is warm. Type IIb diamonds can also phosphoresce under short-wave UV light and glow red for several seconds. The famous historic blue diamonds the Hope, the Wittelsbach-Graff (previously the Wittelsbach) and the Tereschenko are also Type IIb and are believed to have come from the legendary Golconda mines in India, an area that also yielded diamonds of purest white. Ancient Indian texts describe diamonds of grey to dark blue colour coming from the Pundra area. The common denominator of all Golconda diamonds, whether they are white or of fancy colour, is their high degree of transparency and liquid re. This diamond certainly possesses these properties. Its at, antique cut is also suggestive of an alluvial Golconda diamond. The diamond is mounted in a Trombino ring made by Bulgari in the mid 1960s. Bulgaris appreciation of the beauty and rarity of natural coloured diamonds spurred the rms buyers to become active in the Indian market during the 1950s and many ancestral diamonds that had belonged to maharajas and nawabs were bought. Also, during the 1950s, Bulgari purchased a fabulous collection of fancy-coloured diamonds from a French dealer who had been amassing the collection over many years and was justiably proud of his valuable stock. Bulgari soon began to incorporate these coloured diamonds into contemporary jewels of the nest quality. Bonhams is privileged to offer such an important antique blue diamond from this period of Bulgaris production.

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118 An important fancy deep-blue diamond Trombino ring, circa 1965 The cushion-shaped fancy deep-blue diamond, weighing 5.30 carats, set horizontally within a mount pav-set with brilliant-cut diamonds and courses of baguette-cut diamonds, remaining diamonds approximately 2.00 carats total, signed Bulgari, ring size I, Bulgari pouch 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 US$1,500,000 - 2,300,000 Accompanied by a report from GIA stating that the 5.30 carat diamond is fancy deep blue, natural colour, VS2 clarity. Report number 1156118343, dated 30 November 2012.

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Bonhams 1793 : An important fancy deep-blue diamond 'Trombino' ring,

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24 Apr 2013 14:00 BST London, New Bond Street Fine Jewellery Back to auction 20622

Contacts

118 An important fancy deepblue diamond 'Trombino' ring, circa 1965

The cushion-shaped fancy deep-blue diamond, weighing 5.30 carats, set horizontally within a mount pav-set with brilliant-cut diamonds and courses of baguette-cut diamonds, remaining diamonds approximately 2.00 carats total, signed Bulgari, ring size I, Bulgari pouch

Emily Barber London, United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7468 8284 Fax: +44 20 7499 5364 emily.barber@bonhams.com Specialist - Jewellery

News
24 Apr 2013

Sold for 6,201,250 inc. premium

Bonhams Takes World Record of 6.2 Million For Exceptional Blue Diamond

Footnotes
Accompanied by a report from GIA stating that the 5.30 carat diamond is fancy deep blue, natural colour, VS2 clarity. Report number 1156118343, dated 30 November 2012. Blue diamonds are extraordinarily rare. Over the past ten years fewer than thirty blue diamonds over five carats have appeared at auction worldwide. If you compare this with the tens of thousands of colourless or "white" diamonds that have been sold in the same period, one can appreciate the excitement the appearance of a previously unrecorded blue diamond generates when it appears on the auction market. The blue diamond offered here, weighs 5.30 carats, and has never been offered at auction before. The blue colour in the diamond is caused by trace elements of boron, classing it as Type IIb. Boron causes blue diamonds to become semi-conductors of electricity and the blue colour intensifies when the diamond is warm. Type IIb diamonds can also phosphoresce under short-wave UV light and glow red for several seconds. The famous historic blue diamonds the Hope, the Wittelsbach-Graff (previously the Wittelsbach) and the Tereschenko are also Type IIb and are believed to have come from the legendary Golconda mines in India, an area that also yielded diamonds of purest white. Ancient Indian texts describe diamonds of grey to dark blue colour coming from the Pundra area. The common denominator of all Golconda diamonds, whether they are white or of fancy colour, is their high degree of transparency and liquid fire. This diamond certainly possesses these properties. Its flat, antique cut is also suggestive of an alluvial Golconda diamond. The diamond is mounted in a "Trombino" ring made by Bulgari in the mid 1960s. Bulgari's appreciation of the beauty and rarity of natural coloured diamonds spurred the firm's buyers to become active in the Indian market during the 1950s and many ancestral diamonds that had belonged to maharajas and nawabs were bought. Also, during the 1950s, Bulgari purchased a fabulous collection of fancy-coloured diamonds from a French dealer who had been amassing the collection over many years and was justifiably proud of his valuable stock. Bulgari soon began to incorporate these coloured diamonds into contemporary jewels of the finest quality. Bonhams is privileged to offer such an important antique blue diamond from this period of Bulgari's production.

Video
25 Apr 2013

Bonhams Takes World Record of 6.2 Million For Exceptional Blue Diamond

Auction Notices
Please note that there is no live bidding over the internet available for this lot.

Category: Jewellery

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20622/lot/118/?print_friendly=1[02-08-2013 20:07:51]

Bonhams 1793 : Bonhams Takes World Record of 6.2 Million For Exceptional Blue Diamond

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24 Apr 2013

Bonhams Takes World Record of 6.2 Million For Exceptional Blue Diamond
An extremely rare fancy deep-blue diamond weighing 5.30 carats sold at Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale in London's New Bond Street today, April 24th for a record price of $1.8m per carat. The previous world record price per carat for a blue diamond was $1.68m. This rare gem was bought by Graff Diamonds, the international diamond house headquartered in New Bond Street. London. Bidding came from round the world via 25 telephone lines as well as bidders in the packed saleroom. The fancy deep-blue diamond is set in a 'Trombino' ring made by Bulgari, the renowned Italian jeweller favoured by Hollywood film stars, and the epitome of fashion and innovation during the 1960s. The ring was made circa 1965 and had been estimated to fetch 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 at the Bonhams auction. Jean Ghika, Director of Bonhams Jewellery Department for Europe commented after the sale: "We are delighted with the price it has made. It was a sensational stone which charmed everyone who viewed it prior to the sale. Blue diamonds, especially those over 5.00 carats, are extremely rare to see on the market and continue to be highly sought-after. We are honoured to have handled the sale of such a unique gem." Blue diamonds are very rarely seen on the market and fancy-coloured diamonds are among the most valuable and sought-after in the world. They have delighted royals and celebrities over the centuries, with the most famous blue 'Hope Diamond' bought by King Louis XIV of France in the late 17th Century. The stunning 45.52-carat diamond, originating from India was eventually stolen from the Crown Jewels by thieves in the French Revolution and then smuggled to London, finally coming to rest in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. The Bulgari ring features a cushion-shaped fancy deep-blue diamond, weighing 5.30 carats. It is set horizontally within a mount pav-set with brilliant-cut diamonds and courses of baguette-cut diamonds. The term "fancy" is used to describe a diamond of intense colour and the colour "fancy deep-blue" is one of the rarest. The extraordinary colour blue is derived from small atoms of boron mixing with the carbon atoms in a diamond, affecting the absorption of light passing through the stone and lending it a blue appearance. Blue diamonds are structurally very pure and account for less than one per cent of all diamonds mined.

Contacts
Julian Roup London, United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7468 8259 Fax: +44 20 7468 8209 julian.roup@bonhams.com Press Jean Ghika London, United Kingdom Tel: +44 20 7468 8282 Fax: +44 20 7499 5364 jean.ghika@bonhams.com Specialist

NOTES FOR EDITORS Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com

http://www.bonhams.com/press_release/13455/?print_friendly=1[02-08-2013 20:10:15]