5 days Ago By Mashable News Staff
A stunning piece of India’s royal history is set to captivate the world once more. The Golconda Blue , a rare 23.24-carat vivid blue diamond, will be auctioned at Christie’s 'Magnificent Jewels' sale in Geneva on May 14.
Housed in a modern ring designed by renowned Parisian jeweler JAR, this gem is estimated to fetch between $35 million and $50 million (roughly Rs 300 crore to Rs 430 crore). The diamond is said to have originated from the legendary Golconda mines in Telangana. These mines are famous for producing some of the world’s most iconic gems, like the Koh-i-Noor and the Hope Diamond.
A post shared by Christie's (@christiesinc) The Golconda Blue once belonged to Yeshwant Rao Holkar II, the last Maharaja of Indore. In 1923, his father reportedly purchased the diamond and had it set into a bracelet by French jeweler Chaumet, alongside two other famous Golconda diamonds called the 'Indore Pears.' By the 1930s, the blue diamond was reset into a breathtaking necklace by Mauboussin, the Maharaja’s chosen jeweler.
ALSO SEE: Chinese Collector Buys Banana Taped To A Wall For ₹52 Crore At Auction, Says 'Will Personally Eat It' later in 1947, the diamond crossed the ocean to America, where famed jeweler Harry Winston transformed it into a brooch, pairing it with a white diamond of similar size. It returned to Indian royalty as part of the Baroda royal family’s collection before passing into private ownership. Now, the Golconda Blue is ready to dazzle once again at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva.
Its auction comes a few years after another vivid blue diamond, a 15.10-carat Fancy Vivid De Beers Blue was sold for $57.5 million at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in April 2022.
ALSO SEE: Dinosaur Fossil Sold For ₹373 Crore, Highest Ever Price At New York Auction (Image: Christie's).
