A giant ruby ​​auctioned for 34.8 million dollars in New York, a record

2023-06-09 17:56:37

It is called “Estrela de Fura” and was sold for 34.8 million dollars to the auction, this Thursday. This giant ruby ​​of 55.22 carats was sold by the house Sotheby’s To New York (UNITED STATES) for a record sum. THE bijou was a star during this sale of jewelry which included 100 lots.

#AuctionUpdate The Estrela de FURA 55.22 ruby sets a new world record at #SothebysNewYork for any colored gemstone, selling for an astounding $34.8 million during the Magnificent Jewels Auction, presented in partnership with @Silversea. pic.twitter.com/GOPPw0P8Js

— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) June 8, 2023

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The ruby ​​was cut and shaped in a rough stone of 101 carats discovered in September in a mine in Montepeuz (Mozambique), operated by Fura Gems. Proposed at a starting price of 21 million dollars, it was awarded 30 million dollars, or 34.8 million with fees and commissions, to an anonymous purchaser by telephone. A Sotheby’s spokeswoman said the buyer was a “private collector of the Middle East “, without further details.

“A true wonder of nature”

The marketing of this extremely rare jewel, exhibited in Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Geneva, Dubai and New York, was an event for the world of jewelry. “It’s a true wonder of nature,” said Sotheby’s head of jewelry for the Americas, Quig Bruning.

“Any ruby ​​that comes out of the ground and ends up exceeding five carats as a polished ruby ​​is something rare. A 10 carat ruby ​​is very rare. 20 carats is almost unheard of. A ruby ​​of more than 50 carats is once in a lifetime,” continued the specialist. The previous record belonged to a 25.59-carat Burmese ruby, sold for $30.33 million including fees by Sotheby’s to Geneva in 2015.

Another record for a pink diamond

During the same auction session, “The Eternal Pink”, a rare pink diamond of 10.57 carats, resulting from the exploitation of a mine in Botswana, was sold for the same price of $34.8 million, a record per carat ($3.29 million) for a stone of this color. The current all-time high for the selling price of a pink diamond was reached at Hong Kong in 2017, when the “Pink Star” (59.60 carats) was purchased for $71.2 million.