- On Tuesday, Christie's auctioned off the most expensive jewel ever sold on an online auction.
- The 28.86-carat diamond sold for over $2 million (around R36 million).
- One of the rarest in the world, the Type 11a diamond was formed with pure carbon.
- For more stories go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
Christie's just broke a world record.
The auction house sold a 28.86-carat diamond for $2,115,000 (around R36 million) in an online auction - the most expensive diamond to ever be auctioned online, Annabelle Spranklen reported for Tatler. The diamond sold for above its upper estimate of $2 million, according to Forbes.
The sale happened on Tuesday, the final day of Christie's Jewels Online sale. Spranklen writes that the diamond, a rare Type 11A, is classified as D-colour, meaning it's one of the clearest diamonds in the world.
It also one of the rarest in the world, due to the fact that it's emerald-cut and formed with pure carbon. According to the Telegraph, the diamond is completely colourless with no impurities - under 2% of the world's diamonds can be classified at Type 11A.
The record-setting sale also bodes well for the auction house's future online auctions.
"The spectacular 28.86-carat D-colour diamond received immediate attention upon its announcement," Christie's Head of Jewellery Rahul Kadakia said in a statement.
"The stone possesses a transparency and purity which can only be found in the world's finest diamonds. The sale of this exceptional stone established the record for a jewel sold in an online-only auction, demonstrating greater client confidence in Christie's digital ability and online sale platform."
Receive a daily update on your cellphone with all our latest news: click here.
Get the best of our site emailed to you daily: click here.
Also from Business Insider South Africa:
- Another hard lockdown ‘may become necessary’: Here’s what that looked like the first time
- ‘Cigarettes are not banned forever’: Ramaphosa, in full, on the tobacco prohibition
- Whatsapp stokvels are back and you’re probably being scammed
- Coca-Cola South Africa stops ads on Facebook, Twitter in protest over racism, misinformation
- New chicken fast-food brand in SA: Kauai owner launches Free Bird