A 100-carat diamond will lead Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels auction on Tuesday, and could fetch upwards of $25 million.
"People everywhere have been drawn to it from across the room and they are in awe of its size, particularly when they put it on their hand," said Gary Schuler, head of Sotheby's jewelry department in New York,
CNN reported this week.
"They can't believe there's a diamond this pure of such impressive scale."
The diamond, mined in southern Africa by De Beers, was originally 200 carats in the rough, and took more than a year to refine and cut into a classic emerald shape.
The diamond is internally flawless, meaning its transparency is unrivaled.
Sotheby's claims that the diamond is one of only six flawless diamonds more than 100 carats to be sold at auction. In a recent Hong Kong auction, a 118-carat diamond sold for more than $30 million.
Forbes reported that the diamond was exhibited in Dubai, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London, and Doha before being brought to New York for auction.
"It has everything you could ever want from a diamond: the classic shape begs to be worn, while the quality puts it in an asset class of its own," said Lisa Hubbard, chairman of North & South America for Sotheby’s International Jewelry Division.
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