GIANT DIAMOND SELLS FOR $33.7M AT AUCTION

Geneva — The largest-ever D-flawless diamond to be put up for auction, mounted in a diamond and emerald necklace, sold for $33.7 million Tuesday night, including buyer’s fees. The white, matchbox-size “Creation 1” diamond from Swiss jeweler de Grisogono weighs a whopping 163 carats. The hammer went down at $29.7 million, excluding the buyer’s premium — around the midpoint of the pre-sale estimates before the auction at Christie’s in Geneva. The buyer was not immediately identified. Australian diamond company Lucapa, which mined the stone, says it was the largest diamond ever discovered in the African nation of Angola.