On May 18th, Christie's will auction the 14.62 carat Oppenheimer Blue, the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction. The emerald cut stone is expected to fetch between $38 million and $45 million at Christie's Magnificent Jewels Sale in Geneva.
Christie's calls the diamond "the gem of gems" and says it can only be described as one of the rarest gems in the world. Named for one-time owner, Philip Oppenheimer, formerly of De Beers. "The Oppenheimer family have been leaders in the diamond industry for generations, and Sir Philip could have had any diamond he wanted," said Francois Curiel of Christie's, "But he chose this one with its perfect hue, impeccable proportions, and fabulous rectangular shape."
The Oppenheimer Blue is larger that the Blue Moon, a 12.03 carat cushion-shape blue diamond, which last year sold for $48.5 million, a world record for any diamond sold at auction. However, the Blue Moon is internally flawless, while the Oppenheimer Blue has a VVS1 clarity.
Another blue diamond will hit the auction block later this month - this one prized more for its history than its perfection.
This beautiful blue diamond ring belonged to Shirley Temple - child star turned diplomat. As an actress, she was the immensely popular star of numerous movies in the 1930's.
She was known for her bouncy curls and outgoing personality.
As Shirley Temple Black, she had a long career in public service. She died in 2014 at the age of 85.
Her father bought the cushion cut blue diamond ring around her 12th birthday in 1940 for $7,210. She wore the beautiful ring throughout her life as you can see in the photo on the right.
Sotheby's will auction the ring in their Magnificent Jewels auction on April 19 in New York. The 9.54 carat ring has a pre-sale estimate of between $25 to $35 million.
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