NEW YORK — A “perfect” 100-carat diamond in a classic emerald cut sold for just over $22 million at auction on Tuesday.
The internally flawless D color stone is the only classic emerald-cut white diamond of the highest color and clarity and over 100 carats to come to auction, according to Sothebys. The final price on Tuesday night was $22,090,000, including the buyers premium.
“This 100.20-carat diamond is the definition of perfection. The color is whiter than white. It is free of any internal imperfections,” Sothebys New York jewelry department head Gary Schuler said in a statement prior to the sale, likening its transparency “to a pool of icy water.”
The presale estimate had been between $19 million and $25 million. The diamond was mined in southern Africa within the last 10 years and weighed over 200 carats before it was cut and polished, the auction house said.
The seller wished to remain anonymous. The buyer was also anonymous, and the winning bid came in over the phone.
Only five “perfect” diamonds over 100 carats have sold at auction in the last 25 years, with a 118-carat oval-cut stone fetching $30.6 million at Sothebys in 2013. It set a record for a white diamond. The record for any jewel is $46 million for a 24.78-carat emerald-cut pink diamond, set at Sothebys in 2010.
An employee holds a 100-Carat perfect diamond at Sothebys auction house on February 13, 2015 in London.