Christie's 39-carat 'Star' shoots off at $5.4M

The pear-shaped, D color "Evening Star" diamond weighs in at 39 carats and is from India's ancient Golconda mines. An anonymous buyer paid $5.4 million for the stone at Christie's on Thursday.

New York--A 39-carat, D color diamond from India's famed Golconda mines called the "Evening Star" fetched $5.4 million at Christie's, the latest in a line of remarkable diamonds to dazzle at auction. According to a press release from the auction house, an anonymous buyer snapped up the stone, paying $138,000 per carat for the diamond dubbed the "Evening Star" because its previous owner liked to wear it out at night.

It was part of Christie's "Magnificent Jewels from a Distinguished Private Collector" sale, held Thursday in New York.The sale of the "Evening Star" comes on the heels of the record-setting $10.8 million sale of "The Vivid Pink" diamond Dec. 1 in Hong Kong and the $7.7 million sale of the 32.01-carat D-flawless Annenberg Diamond in October."The diamond market continues to show remarkable strength despite the volatility of the financial world," Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie's New York, said in the release. "Just two weeks after a very strong sale of jewels at Christie's Hong Kong--where a 5-carat pink diamond went for $10.8 million--the exceptional Evening Star Golconda diamond of 39 carats sold at Christie's New York for $5.4 million.

It was a fitting grand finale to a year that saw over $100 million in jewels change hands under our gavels in the U.S." The combined total for Christie's "New York Jewels" and the "Magnificent Jewels" sales was $25.18 million, with 85 percent of the goods sold by lot and 97 percent sold by value, according to the release.Other notable lots include a modified rectangular-cut fancy intense blue VS1 diamond of 7.02 carats, which went for $3.89 million to an anonymous buyer, and a 36.78-carat, D color internally flawless diamond, purchased by a member of the U.S. trade for $3.39 million.

In addition, a pair of D-VVS pear-shaped diamonds of 10.21 and 10.51 carats garnered nearly $2.1 million, while a modified cushion-cut fancy intense yellow diamond of 40.92 carats was auctioned off for $1.11 million.

Source: National Jeweler

Bubblegum-colored diamond pops records

December 02, 2009

The $10.78 million sale of "The Vivid Pink," a 5-carat cushion-cut fancy vivid-pink diamond, broke two records in the auction world: price paid for a pink diamond and per-carat price paid for any diamond at auction.


Hong Kong--A dazzling, 5-carat pink diamond dubbed "The Vivid Pink"--the largest pink diamond ever offered at auction--sold for $10.78 million at Christie's Hong Kong on Tuesday, setting a new world-record price for a pink diamond sold at auction.A private Asian buyer snapped up the cushion-cut, potentially flawless, Type IIa fancy vivid stone, paying $2.1 million per carat, a new per-carat record price for a diamond sold at auction, according to a news release from Christie's.

"The Vivid Pink was the glittering star of Christie's Hong Kong, where record prices were achieved across all categories throughout the week," Vickie Sek, director of the Jewellery and Jadeite Department at Christie's Asia, said in the release. "$2.1 million per carat is by far the highest price per carat achieved for any diamond worldwide and, at $10.8 million, The Vivid Pink is the most expensive jewel sold at auction in 2009.

The saleroom showed immense depth at all levels, with sensational results realized all through the day. Eight out of the ten most expensive jewels were acquired by discerning Asian private collectors, confirming once again Hong Kong's position as a major market for the finest gemstones."Overall, Christie's fall 2009 Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong garnered $48 million, with 89 percent sold by lot and 92 percent sold by value.According to the release, other sales included a 16.09-carat circular-cut diamond with D color and flawless clarity, purchased by a private Asian buyer for $2.9 million.

A cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire of 16.65 carats sold for $2.4 million, or $144,000 per carat, setting a new world-record price per carat for a sapphire sold at auction.A European private buyer paid $1.6 million for an 11-carat pear-shaped diamond pendant.A private Asian buyer paid $1.53 million for a 9.03-carat fancy vivid-yellow diamond with an oval shape and VVS1 clarity, while a 3.02-carat fancy intense-blue diamond with a rectangular cut and VSI clarity, garnered $1.16 million.

Source: National Jeweler

'Bonhams to auction five-pound 'Princess' pearl'

Jewelry Auctions
'Bonhams to auction five-pound 'Princess' pearl';

Bonhams to auction five-pound 'Princess' pearl

November 25, 2009

The "Palawan Princess," a five-pound, 11,339-carat blister pearl found off the coast of the Philippines, valued at between $300,000 and $400,000 will be for sale at Bonhams and Butterfields' Dec. 6 auction.


Los Angeles--Bonhams and Butterfields will auction off what is believed to be the world's second-largest documented pearl, a five-pound gem found off the coast of the Philippines that has been dubbed the "Palawan Princess."The natural non-nacreous pearl was found in saltwater near the Philippines' Palawan island and "bears an uncanny resemblance to a human brain," the auction house said.

Both rare and immense, the gem is thought to be surpassed in size only by the 14-pound "Pearl of Allah," an approximately 14-pound, 31,893.5-carat pearl that, like the Palawan Princess, was the product of the giant clam shell Tridacna gigas and was also found off the coastal waters of the Philippines.The approximately 11,339-carat Palawan Princess is a blister pearl measuring six inches in diameter and accompanied by the lower half of its original giant clam shell, which shows the point of attachment where the pearl formed.

The pearl, which will be on the auction block at Bonhams and Butterfields' Dec. 6 holiday auction of Natural History in Los Angeles, is valued at $300,000 and $400,000. "This is an once-in-a-lifetime look at one of nature's most unique treasures," said Mitch Jacubovic, director of EGL USA, one of the labs that was asked to examine the pearl, in a media release. "A pearl this size is not only one of the largest ones we've ever seen, it is among the largest pearls ever seen anywhere

'Vivid Pink' up for sale at Christie's

'Vivid Pink' up for sale at Christie's

Christie's Fall Sale of Magnificent Jewels, to be held in Hong Kong on Dec. 1, will feature "The Vivid Pink," a 5-carat fancy vivid-pink diamond with potentially flawless clarity set in a ring by Graff. It is estimated to fetch between $5 million and $7 million.


Hong Kong--Christie's annual Fall Sale of Magnificent Jewels will feature more than 250 gemstones and pieces of jewelry valued in excess of $33 million.Taking place on Dec. 1 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the sale will be a showcase of important diamonds, fine colored gemstones, top jadeite jewels and signed creations from the likes of Bulgari, Cartier, Graff, Van Cleef and Arpels and Wallace Chan.The sale will also include four magnificent jewels from an esteemed private collection, including "The Vivid Pink," a 5-carat fancy vivid-pink diamond with potentially flawless clarity set in a ring by Graff. It is estimated to fetch between $5 million and $7 million.

The collection also includes a second ring set by Graff, this one featuring a 9.03-carat oval-shaped fancy vivid-yellow diamond with VVS1 clarity, estimated between $900,000 and $1.2 million.The remaining two items from the private collection, a 16.65-carat cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire ring by Van Cleef and Arpels, and "The Cartier Diamond Love Cuff," a custom, one-of-a-kind creation studded with high-quality diamonds, are estimated between $700,000 and $1 million, and $250,000 to $350,000, respectively.Additional diamonds from the Magnificent Jewels sale include an unmounted, 16.99-carat brilliant-cut Type IIa diamond with D color and flawless clarity ($2.2 million-$3.2 million), as well as an 11-carat pear-shaped Type IIa diamond with D color and flawless clarity set into a pendant necklace ($800,000-$1.2 million).

Aside from The Vivid Pink, fans of colored diamonds will find a rare, rectangular-cut fancy intense-blue diamond weighing in at 3.02 carats ($940,000-$1.28 million), a 0.84-carat rectangular-shaped fancy red diamond ($250,000-$375,000), and a pair of 8.52-carat and 8.39-carat pear-shaped fancy yellow internally flawless diamond ear pendants ($400,000-$600,000).In terms of colored gemstones, auction highlights include a 25.04-carat pear-shaped Burmese sapphire and diamond pendant necklace ($600,000-$800,000), an emerald and diamond necklace from Bulgari ($80,000-$120,000) and a ruby and diamond Art Deco bracelet by Cartier ($625,000-$1 million).

Christie's said in a media release that natural pearls and jadeite are among additional strong draws for collectors in Asia. The Magnificent Jewels sale will feature a pair of diamond and natural-pearl ear pendants from Chaumet ($230,000-$350,000), a multicolored, graduated natural-pearl necklace ($150,000-$230,000) and a rare pair of natural-pearl and diamond ear clips from Cartier ($160,000-$230,000).The standouts among the jadeite pieces are a carved jadeite Guanyin, estimated between $1 million and $1.5 million, and a carved jadeite figure of Metteyya Buddha, commonly referred to as the "Laughing Buddha," estimated between $750,000 and $1 million.

Source: National Jeweler: November 05, 2009

Scientists hail queen conch's cultured pearls

Scientists hail queen conch's cultured pearlsNovember 09, 2009

Conch pearls have a porcelain finish and luster like the interior of the conch shell and come in a wide variety and combination of colors, including white, red, pink, orange, yellow and brown.


Boca Raton, Fla.--Scientists from Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute have announced the development of the first-ever technique to produce beaded (nucleated) and non-beaded cultured pearls from the queen conch.Scientists at the university say their novel and proprietary seeding techniques have successfully coaxed conch pearls from the queen conch--pearls that would be extremely rare if they occurred naturally. Ordinarily, it takes opening about 10,000 queen conch to find one conch pearl, and only one in 100 of those rare finds would be of gem quality, according to a press release from the university."Prior to this breakthrough, no high-quality queen conch pearl had been cultured," the release, issued on Nov. 4, said. "This discovery opens up a unique opportunity to introduce a new gem to the industry.

This significant accomplishment is comparable to that of the Japanese in the 1920s when they commercially applied the original pearl-culture techniques developed for pearl oysters."For more than 25 years, all attempts at culturing pearls from the queen conch--also known as Strombus gigas and found in the shallow sea grass beds of Florida, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean Islands and the northern coasts of Central and South America--have been unsuccessful. With less than two years of research and experimentation on the queen conch, however, Hector Acosta-Salmon and Megan Davis, co-inventors of the process, were able to produce more than 200 cultured pearls using the techniques they developed.

The Boca Raton, Fla.-based researchers have been working with the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to conduct extensive laboratory testing of the queen conch cultured pearls. In its independent analysis, the GIA used techniques that included conventional gemological examination, chemical composition, spectroscopy, spectrometry and microscopy, and thus far, gemologists are giving the cultured conch pearls a thumbs up. "This is a significant development for the pearl industry, and we were very excited to have the opportunity to closely examine these unique conch cultured pearls in our laboratory," Tom Moses, senior vice president of GIA Laboratory and Research, said in the release. "Several of the pearls we examined are truly top-quality gems."The lab is using its equipment and expertise to compile identification criteria that would separate queen conch cultured pearls from their natural counterparts, he added.

The oceanographic institute and the GIA plan to jointly publish the results of these trials in an upcoming issue of the GIA's scientific journal, Gems and Gemology. Scientists believe that previous efforts to culture queen conch pearls were likely unsuccessful for two reasons: the animal's sensitivity to traditional pearl seeding techniques and its complex, spiral-shaped shell, which makes it virtually impossible to reach the gonad, one of the pearl-forming portions in pearl oysters, without endangering the animal's life. "Perhaps the most significant outcome from our research is that the technique we have developed does not require sacrificing the conch in the process," Davis said in the release.

"The 100 percent survival rate of queen conch after seeding and the fact that it will produce another pearl after the first pearl is harvested will make this culturing process more efficient and environmentally sustainable for commercial application."Survival of the animal is critical because commercial fishing has depleted the once-abundant wild populations of queen conch, and they are now considered a commercially threatened species in Florida and throughout the Caribbean, according to the release.

There are basically two types of cultured pearls: nucleated (beaded) and non-nucleated (non-beaded). Nucleated cultured pearls are produced by inserting a piece of mantle tissue from a donor mollusk and a nucleus, usually a spherical piece of shell, into the body of a recipient mollusk. Non-nucleated pearls are produced by grafting only a piece or pieces of mantle tissue, and no bead is inserted.

The researchers used two different seeding techniques to induce pearl formation in the queen conch. One was a modification of the conventional technique used to produce cultured pearls in freshwater mussels, and the other was a modification of the conventional technique used in marine pearl oysters.Conch pearls are formed by concentric layers of fibrous crystals, which create a "flame structure" characteristic of conch pearls.

The pearls have a porcelain finish and luster like the interior of the conch shell, and come in a wide variety and combination of colors including white, red, pink, orange, yellow and brown. Queen conch pearls are measured in carats like traditional gemstones.The size of the cultured pearls produced by Acosta-Salmon and Davis is controlled by the size of the bead and the culture time. The researchers have experimented with culture times from six months to two years; longer culture times might produce larger pearls.

The queen conch is farmed in aquaculture tanks, and the queen conch cultured pearls in the initial harvest were grown in an aquaculture facility at the university. Queen conch achieve their full size at about three years and have a life span of up to 40 years.

Source: National Jeweler: November 09, 2009
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Pearl prices, supplies adjust with recession

By Catherine Dayrit with National Jeweler



Pearl prices fell earlier this year amid poor economic conditions, but experts say both prices and demand are rising as supply adjusts and the category gains fashion fans.Design Trends: A new generation is eyeing pearls, thanks to the emergence of boldly colored pearls, which began with "chocolate" pearls and moved on to vivid green and blue "peacock" hues, says Kathy Grenier of the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA), also citing sterling silver with pearls and long, versatile strands.Supply and Demand Issues: While the prized Japanese akoya enjoys greater demand than its Chinese counterpart, supplies of both have suffered. Chinese akoya farms were hit hard by typhoons, including Typhoon Pabuk in 2007, resulting in tremendous losses, says Peter Bazar, vice president of the CPAA and president of Imperial. And while Japanese akoyas continue to be dogged by pollution, the industry is paying attention to Mikimoto, which announced in August that its new successful akoya farming venture in Ainoshima, Japan, heralded a new advance in Japanese pearl production. Production is limited, but if the process is deemed an improvement, it will be adopted, Bazar says.Interest remains in Tahitian and South Sea pearls, but the volume demand is less, says pearl purveyor Betty Sue King of King's Ransom.Price Points: While poor demand led farm levels to plummet precipitously over the first half of this year, prices are now rising fast as supply adjusts to the market, says Bazar.At the entry level, freshwater pearls remain a major option. Pollution and overproduction have led to a proliferation of low-quality freshwaters on the market. Yet high-quality versions, competing in size with akoyas and even South Sea varieties, provide value for those seeking a big look for less, says Sea Hunt Pearl owner Jack Lynch, adding that Tahitian pearl prices decreased earlier this year and that the sector saw a few Tahitian pearl farmers go out of business. With limited supply, both demand and prices for Tahitians are expected to increase.

Source: National Jeweler
www.dillonpearl.com

32-carat Annenberg astonishes at auction

An anonymous buyer paid $7.7 million for the 32.01-carat Asscher-cut Annenberg Diamond at Christie's on Wednesday. The stone features D color and flawless clarity.


New York--In an event Christie's is terming "an auction to remember," an anonymous buyer paid $7.7 million for the 32.01-carat D-flawless Annenberg Diamond on Wednesday, well surpassing the stone's estimated sale price of $3 million to $5 million.The diamond, owned by philanthropist Leonore "Lee" Annenberg, who died in March at the age of 91, was mounted in a ring by Manhattan jeweler David Webb.Its sale set a new, world-record auction price of $240,000 per carat for a colorless diamond, according to Christie's.
Overall, Christie's "Jewels: The New York Sale and the Annenberg Diamond" and "Rare Jewels and Objets d'Art: A Superb Collection" held on Wednesday in New York City, totaled $46.5 million and achieved a combined sell-through rate of 85 percent by lot and 94 percent by value.In a press release, Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie's New York, said the activity at the auction defied these recessionary times."For three-and-a-half hours, between 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 at Christie's, it was as if the recession never happened," he said.
"Virtually every lot exceeded its estimate, and the $7.7 million Annenberg Diamond astonished even the most seasoned diamond dealer. It was an auction to remember. And if this were not enough, the sale started again at 2:30 p.m. and continued until 7:00 p.m., giving collectors opportunity to acquire exceptional masterpieces from the superb collection of Rare Jewels and Objets d'Art."Also sold on Wednesday was a 16.33-carat circular-cut diamond with E color and flawless clarity, purchased by a private Asian dealer for $1.6 million, or $97,000 per carat.
Among the pieces exceeding estimates were a belle epoque diamond and rock crystal bow brooch by Cartier, which was expected to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000, but was purchased by a member of the U.S. trade for $1.1 million, and a Harry Winston emerald and diamond necklace, circa 1956, expected to fetch between $500,000 to $700,000 that sold for $950,500.

Source : National Jeweler, October 22, 2009
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Rare Diamonds from Argyle, Annenberg Go Up For Auction

Forty-three pink diamonds from the Argyle mine will hit the road as part of a worldwide tender tour. Argyle Diamonds are usually bought by jewelry connoisseurs, private collectors and celebrities. Meanwhile, the Annenberg Diamond is scheduled to be auctioned during Christie's Jewels: The New York Sale on October 21, 2009.
The square emerald-cut diamond is described as a 32.01-carat, D color, flawess stone, mounted as a ring and flanked by two pear-shaped diamonds of 1.5 carats and 1.61 carats. The ring, part of the collection of Leonore Annenberg, was designed by David Webb. Christie's estimated its value between $3 million and $5 million.

Another Success for Christie’s

Another Success for Christie’s

NYChristie’s New York's small, 184-lot, end of season sale on June 11 sold 91 percent by lot and 86 percent by value. The auction tallied up $11,367,875, with diamonds making a strong showing. The top lot — a pear-shaped fancy intense internally flawless 6.29-carat blue diamond — sold for $3,554,500. The highly touted blue diamonds were the stars of the show, with a 3.28-carat modified rectangular-cut fancy dark gray-blue diamond selling for $386,500, the fifth biggest lot. Two blue rose-cut diamonds, however, failed to sell.

Rapaport TradeWire - Friday, June 19, 2009

Christie's London Jewels Sale Tops $6M

Christie's London Jewels Sale Tops $6M

Christie's Jewels: The London Sale was 84 percent sold by lot and garnered a total of $6.1 million (GBP 3.7 million). The top lot was a 44.14-carat circular-cut, fancy yellow, SI1 diamond set in an art deco mount, which fetched $865,324, or $19,600 per carat. A 10.09-carat, cushion-shaped, F, VS2 diamond sold to an Asian private for $414,064, and a 4.99-carat brilliant-cut, F,VS2 diamond sold to a member of the U.S. trade for $135,460.

Rapaport TradeWire - Friday, June 12, 2009

Christie's Hong Kong Jewels Sale Tops $33M

Christie's Hong Kong jewelry sale reported strong results, with 90 percent of the lots sold for a total of $33,067,728. The top lot, a diamond pendant set with two pear-shaped, D, flawless, type IIa diamonds of 20.7 carats and 10.02 carats, sold for $3,328,182 to an Asian private. Other diamond highlights included a number of lots that sold for more than $1 million apiece. A rectangular-cut, 15.02-carat, D, flawless type IIa diamond sold for $1,670,526, or $111,200 per carat.


Rapaport TradeWire - Thursday, May 28, 2009

7.03ct Blue Diamond Sells for More Than $1M per Carat

Sotheby’s sale of a 7.03-carat, fancy vivid blue, flawless cushion-shaped diamond fetched almost $9.5 million, or $1,349,752 per carat in Geneva. The winning bidder wished to remain anonymous. Sotheby's noted that this blue diamond beat out the previous most expensive fancy vivid blue diamond sold at auction, and that the sale was a world record for the sale of any diamond at auction in terms of value per carat. Sotheby's total sale of magnificent jewels in Geneva was $35,762,327 and was 76.9 percent sold by lot.

www.dillonpearl.com

Christie's Dubai Jewels Sale Tops $4M

Jewelry belonging to Umm Kulthum, a legendary Egyptian singer, sold for $118,000 at a Christie's auction in Dubai on Tuesday night. The entire sale reached just over $4 million, with 76 percent sold by lot. The highlight of the sale was a kite-shaped, 5.01-carat, D, internally flawless diamond pendant, which sold for $194,500 to a Middle Eastern private collector. The number of Middle Eastern buyers at Christie's auctions globally has risen 400 percent since 2004.

www.dillonpearl.com

Christie's to Auction Kulthum Estate Jewelry

Christie's will auction a few of Umm Kulthum's personal jewels on April 28, 2009, at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai. The sale will also include rare colored gemstones and exquisite natural pearls, alongside watches by Patek Philippe, Breguet, Cartier and Rolex. Kulthum, the great Arab singer, was known as "Kawab El Sharq," The Shining Star of the Middle East.

Source: Rapaport Tradewire
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Sotheby's NY Magnificent Jewels Sale Features Important Diamonds

Sotheby’s New York spring sale of Magnificent Jewels will be held on April 23, 2009. The top lot is a fancy blue diamond ring set with a cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut stone weighing 8.24 carats, which is expected to bring in excess of $2.5 million. A fancy vivid yellow diamond ring, signed Jacob & Co., is set with a 15.61-carat center stone and 2.55 carats of flanking half-moon white diamonds; it has a presale estimate of $925,000 to $1 million. A pair of fancy vivid yellow diamond earrings featuring matched emerald-cut stones weighing 7.47 and 7.32 carats has a presale estimate of $800,000 to $1 million. Also on offer at the Sotheby's sale are a cushion-shaped diamond ring of 15.4 carats, F color, VS1 clarity, with a presale estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million, and a diamond ring set with an emerald-cut 13.98-carat, G color, VS2 clarity diamond with a presale estimate of $450,000 to $500,000.

Source: Rapaport TradeWire 4/10/2009
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Sotheby’s Hong Kong Jewels Sale Garners $16M

Strong demand for larger diamonds of 5 to 15 carats helped Sotheby’s generate $16 million in sales at its magnificent jewels and jadeite auction in Hong Kong. The auction was sold 67.6 percent by lot. The top lot was a pair of very fine, marquise-shaped D color flawless diamond earrings, weighing a total of 16.58 carats, which sold for $1.7 million. The second lot was a pear-shaped, 13.53-carat D color flawless loose diamond, which sold for $1.5 million. The headlining lot and a number of high-value jadeite lots, however, failed to sell.

Source: Rapaport TradeWire 4/10/2009
www.dillonpearl.com

Sotheby’s Geneva Sale Features a Rare 7ct Blue Diamond from Cullinan

Sotheby’s Geneva Sale Features a Rare 7ct Blue Diamond from CullinanSotheby’s will auction a rare fancy vivid blue, IF diamond from the Cullinan Mine at its upcoming Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in May. The 7.03-carat diamond was cut from a 26.58-carat rough stone mined by Petra Diamonds at Cullinan in South Africa. Sotheby's presale estimate for the diamond is between $5.8 million and $8.5 million.

Rapaport Tradewire 4/3/09

www.dillonpearl.com

Dubai Pearl Exchange Tender Nets Sales of $1M

Dubai Pearl Exchange Tender Nets Sales of $1M The Dubai Pearl Exchange held its first pearl tender in February, and reported that the sale generated more than $1 million. The invitation-only event attracted 40 companies. Highlights of the sale included an exceptionally rare drop-pair of Paspaley Pearls' natural pearls, which were purchased by Swiss Pearls of Switzerland, and a set of cherry-colored Robert Wan Tahitian pearls, strand and earrings, bought by Shafiian Gem.

Rapaport TradeWire 3/27/2009
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Historic Diamond Sells for $24.3 Million in Auction

The Wittelsbach Diamond was fetched last month for a record price at auction in London by famous diamond retailer Laurence Graff.
In spite of a global economic slump, the 35.6 carat, 17th century diamond sold on Dec. 10 for $24.3 million at King Street, Christie's reported. This is the most any jewel has ever fetched at auction. The record was previously held by a 100 - carat diamond sold in 1995 in Geneva. This record-breaking price tag equates to an average per-carat price of $683,667.
Spain's King Philip IV bought the Wittelsbach diamond in 1664 and included it in dowry for his teenage daughter. Her husband, Leopold I of Austria, passed the gem along through the generations. It earned its official name almost 80 years later in 1722, when Leopold's granddaughter wed Charles of Bavaria- a memeber of the Wittelsbach bloodline. The Wittelsbach Diamond was offered for auction in 1931, but didn't sell.
The Wittelsbach Diamond's color and clarity have been linked to the Hope Diamond. Graff bid against several Russian professionals for the cushion-shaped gem, notably Aleks Paul of Essex Global Trading in New York. The price was almost double the diamond's pre-sale estimate.

Source: Diamond District News, January 2009

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