‘The Rock’ fetches $21.9m
The Rock, the biggest white diamond ever auctioned, sold for 21.7 million Swiss francs ($21.9 million) on Wednesday, far short of the record for such a jewel.
The 228.31-carat stone, larger than a golf ball, was sold in Geneva by Christie’s auction house.
There had been high hopes that The Rock would smash the world record for a white diamond, which stands at $33.7 million, a sum fetched in Geneva in 2017 for a 163.41-carat gem.
But the bidding, which started at 14 million Swiss francs, ground to a halt after two minutes at 18.6 million, with the price rising to 21.7 million once the buyer’s premium was added on.
The pre-sale estimate had been 19-30 million Swiss francs.
The Rock, a perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped diamond, was sold by an unnamed owner from North America. It was bought by a private collector bidding by telephone.
Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s international head of jewellery, brought down the hammer to applause in the sale room in the plush Hotel des Bergues.
The Rock was up for grabs alongside a historic intense yellow diamond associated for more than a century with the Red Cross.
The Red Cross Diamond, a cushionshaped, 205.07-carat canary yellow jewel, sold for 14.2 million Swiss francs including the buyer’s premium — well above its price estimate of seven to 10 million francs.
Multiple bidders fought fiercely over the gem for 10 minutes, ending in a duel in increments of 50,000 francs before one private collector won through.
Also sold was a tiara that belonged to Princess Irma of Fuerstenberg (18671948), a member of one of the most preeminent aristocratic families in the Habsburg Empire.
It was estimated at 400,000 to 600,000 Swiss francs. However, it sold for way more: 2.4 million francs, having caught the eye in a prominent spot at the pre-sale exhibition.