A rare 10-carat blue diamond, known as the Mediterranean Blue, was displayed at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday in anticipation of its upcoming auction at Sotheby’s in Geneva next month. The stunning diamond is expected to fetch up to $20 million at the sale.
The Mediterranean Blue is the highlight of a prestigious set of diamonds valued at $100 million, currently being shown in a pre-auction display.
“In total, we have over 700 carats of diamonds and only eight stones. Some of the rarest diamonds in the world,” said Quiq Bruning, Sotheby’s head of jewels for North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
Bruning explained that Abu Dhabi was chosen as the exhibition location due to the strong interest in high-value diamonds in the region. “We feel very strongly that this is the kind of place where you have both traders and collectors of diamonds of this importance and of this rarity,” he said.
The Mediterranean Blue was cut from a nearly 31.94-carat rough diamond found in the renowned Cullinan mine in South Africa in 2023. Its transformation into a polished gem was the result of extensive planning and precision, with a year dedicated to studying the rough diamond, followed by six months of cutting and refining.
The Cullinan mine, famous for producing some of the world’s most iconic diamonds, is also the source of the 530.2-carat Great Star of Africa, now part of the British Crown Jewels.
The Mediterranean Blue diamond will be auctioned on May 13, and it is considered one of the most significant blue diamonds ever discovered.
