Sotheby’s is set to present an exquisite 11.28-carat blue diamond, known as the ‘Infinite Blue,’ in a standalone auction in Hong Kong, with expectations that it could command up to $37 million.
Scheduled for October 5, this sale of the radiant-cut fancy-vivid blue diamond will inaugurate the autumn luxury auction series in the bustling metropolis, according to an announcement made by Sotheby’s on Thursday. The unique feature of this diamond lies in its specific cut, which incorporates the number eight. In Asian culture, the number eight symbolizes prosperity, while universally, it signifies infinity, as elucidated by the auction house.
The journey of the ‘Infinite Blue’ began with the original rough diamond unearthed at Petra Diamonds’ Cullinan mine in South Africa. Classified as a type IIb stone, it belongs to the exceedingly rare category, constituting less than 0.1% of diamonds with such a remarkable blue hue discovered at the mine. Notably, it joins the elite ranks of only four fancy-vivid-blue diamonds over 10 carats from this mine to ever grace the auction stage. The illustrious predecessors include the 14.62-carat ‘Oppenheimer Blue,’ which fetched $57.5 million in 2016, the 15.10-carat ‘De Beers Blue,’ sold for $57.5 million in 2022, and the ‘Blue Moon of Josephine,’ a 12.03-carat diamond that achieved $48.5 million in 2015.
