Largest Fancy Blue Diamond to Auction with $8.5M Estimate

On June 9, Christie's will present the Azure Blue, a remarkable 31.62-carat fancy blue diamond, at its Magnificent Jewels auction in New York. This pear-shaped gem, graded by the GIA as natural color, fancy blue, and potentially internally flawless, is elegantly set in a platinum ring adorned with a concealed halo of natural pink diamonds. Although it is twice the size of the 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue, which fetched $57.6 million in 2016, and the 15.10-carat De Beers Blue that sold for $57.5 million in 2022, the Azure Blue is estimated at a more modest $6.5–$8.5 million due to its lack of the coveted fancy vivid grade. Additionally, a 5.04-carat fancy vivid blue diamond in the same auction shares this estimate, highlighting the value placed on vivid grading. Christie's will also showcase the Ocean Dream, a 5.5-carat fancy vivid blue-green diamond, in Geneva on May 13, anticipated to reach 7–10 million Swiss francs. Claibourne Poindexter, head of jewelry for the Americas, described the Azure Blue as "a rare masterpiece of nature."