Most expensive diamond-world record set by The Wittelsbach Diamond

 LONDON, England -- The 17th century Wittelsbach diamond , known as "Der Blaue Wittelsbacher," weighing 35.56 carats, was sold at Christie's auction house for 16.4 million pounds (24.3 million dollars, 18.7 million euros)-setting the world record for the Most expensive diamond .

Photo: "It is a great honour and a lifetime dream to handle a museum-quality stone such as the Wittelsbach ," said Francois Curiel, international head of jewellery at Christie's.  ( enlarge photo )

  Known as "Der Blaue Wittelsbacher," the gem was bought by King Philippe IV of Spain in 1664 and given in a dowry when his daughter Margaret Theresa married Leopold I of Austria.

   It subsequently entered the Austrian and then Bavarian Crown jewels, although it has been in a private collection since 1964.

   "The appearance of a large blue diamond, among the rarest of all colours, with a history that can be traced back to the 17th century and 300 years of royal connections (is) a thrilling occasion," he added.

Graff Diamonds purchased the Wittelsbach Diamond, a cushion-shaped, deep grayish-blue 35.56 carat VS2 stone, for an average price of $683,667 per carat.

François Curiel, chairman of Christie's Europe and the sale's auctioneer, wrote in a statement: "At $24.3 million, the 35.56-carat Wittelsbach blue diamond, dating to the seventeenth century, has become the most expensive diamond sold at auction, topping the previous record of $16.5 million for a 100-carat diamond in 1995 in Geneva.
    It was purchased by the leading international jeweler Laurence Graff , bidding against Aleks Paul of Essex Global Trading, a professional of Russian origin based in New York.”

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

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