Christie's has announced that the 'Ocean Dream,' a 5.5-carat triangular-cut diamond described as the largest fancy vivid blue-green diamond known to exist, sold for more than 13.5 million Swiss francs ($17.3 million) at its Geneva auction on Wednesday. The auction house hailed the sale as a record price for a stone of its kind at auction.
A Rare Gem from Central Africa
The 'Ocean Dream,' which was the standout lot in Christie's Geneva jewelry sale, was discovered in Central Africa in the 1990s. Its final price comfortably exceeded the presale estimate of 7 to 10 million francs (approximately $9 to $13 million). Rahul Kadakia, president of Christie's Asia Pacific, revealed that an unspecified private client secured the gem after about 20 minutes of bidding, indicating strong interest.
Previous Sale and Market Context
The diamond previously sold for around $8.5 million at Christie's in 2014, after being featured in the Smithsonian Splendour of Diamonds Exhibition in 2003. Tobias Kormind, managing director of online jeweler 77 Diamonds, described the result as 'a stellar result worthy of the world’s rarest blue-green diamond.' In contrast, a six-carat fancy vivid blue diamond offered at Sotheby's Geneva auction on Tuesday failed to sell. Sotheby's noted that the stone, from South Africa's Cullinan mine with a presale estimate of 7.2 to 9.6 million francs ($9.2 to $12.3 million), did not find a buyer during the auction but attracted interest from several parties post-sale.
Growing Demand for Colored Diamonds
Both auction houses have observed increasing collector appetite for rare colored diamonds, which constitute only a small fraction of global diamond production. The 'Ocean Dream' sale underscores the enduring allure of unique and vividly colored gems in the high-end jewelry market.
