Round brilliant diamonds are the cornerstone of the fine jewellery industry today. Many collectors invest in stones that belong to the 'magic sizes' of 1, 2, 2.5 or even 5 carats. To those of you who've been to some of the most prestigious jewellery fairs across different continents, perhaps you may have even seen larger stones being exhibited by many of the international design houses.

Jewelry auctions however, tend to showcase those rare exceptional stones that come around once in a lifetime. Just a few years back, Sotheby's released such a stone that made headlines across nearly every jewelry news portal. The unveiling of a 102.34 carat natural round brilliant diamond.

The stone was a colorless gem with no clarity characteristics, and was touted to be the largest D-flawless round brilliant cut diamond in the world at the time. Its exceptional quality made it even more rare and sought after by thousands of luxury collectors.

The original rough came from Botswanna, a locality very well known for diamond production. It weighed about 425 carats, and master cutters took over half a year to correctly create the finished cut stone from its material.

More rough diamond materials of high carat weight have also been unearthed since then. One of which in particular was acquired by Graff, and contained the potential for a new record-holder in this classic category.



In 2019, the recently unveiled 102.79 carat Graff Constellation was said to beat the previous record by a very narrow margin.

This stone was cut from the 'Light of Letseng' rough diamond originally found in Lesotho mines. It is now considered as the largest D-flawless natural round brilliant cut diamond graded by the Gemological Institute of America at the date of this article.

The photo above depicts the said stone in the hand of Graff Chairman; Lawrence Graff- a pioneer in the global diamond retail trade, and an avid collector record-breaking precious gems.

Among all the fancy-cut shapes you'd normally hear about at auctions, it's sometimes quite interesting to see such a traditional or classic shape like the round brilliant, come in such large and elusive carat weights. One may wonder if any more will be unveiled at auctions in the years to come.

Many connoisseurs in the jewellery trade are familiar with the annual auction events held internationally. From Geneva to New York, greatly anticipated events led by the duopoly of Christie's and Sotheby's auction houses, have shown us some of the world's most tantalising jewellery from human history's most well known brands and designers.




Photography: Sotheby's Auction House, Plume necklace by Jean Schlumberger (Tiffany & Co.)

One particular storyteller we often like watching (just for his charismatic narration of significant pieces) is Frank Everett, who spotlights his own section called Frank's Files, on Sotheby's online platform. Here's an episode link where he timelessly describes a couple of novelty pieces from the collections of Barbara Sinatra (wife of Frank Sinatra) and Happy Rockefeller.



Some of the oldest jewellery design houses in the western world are often featured on his segments, including pieces by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. Both diamonds and rare coloured stones are often incorporated within the same piece, creating a mysterious allure unbound by a single hue or theme. Rubies, emeralds and sapphires are among the world's highest priced gemstones, and they're often found in the collections of society's most well regarded socialites and personalities.

The initial estimate price of the diamond was only somewhere between 11.2 to 12.7 million dollars, so the actual sale price actually exceeded many experts' expectations regarding the stone's worth and reception. Such large oval-cut brilliant diamonds are quite rare, even at auction events. Only three oval diamonds over 50 cts have ever been auctioned to date, including this one.

A quote from Sotheby's regarding the stone's illustrious sale reads, “We were thrilled to handle a diamond of such rarity, which now takes its place in the roster of top white diamonds to have come to the market here at Sotheby’s Asia,” said Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, in a statement. “At 88.22 carats, this lucky stone now carries the name of the fortunate child whose father has chosen to give it her name. A happy moment in the journey of one of the earth’s greatest, oldest treasures.”

The current stone, weight at just a bit over the lucky number 88, is sure to please many collectors at the event's location in Hong Kong. The number represents a 'double infinity' for many cultural societies, and it's very rare to see such a large diamond in this exact carat weight. The rise of asia as a primary force in the jewelry-buying sector shows how its influence also affects the decision of high-end diamond cutters to tailor stones precisely for this growing market.

Patti Wong, chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, labeled the stone as a rare “treasure” in a statement made dates before the event. Sotheby's has always been a driving force in the auction world, most especially for jewelry and the arts. They've been able to publicise and sell some of the world's largest faceted diamonds, in all manners of shapes and color hues. Last year (2018), the sales totalled from their jewelry auctions is said to be somewhere slightly over 400 million dollars.