For generations, Sotheby’s has held a singular place in the world of fine jewellery, where diamonds, gemstones, and rare creations have stirred admiration, desire, and awe across the ages. The auction house remains an enduring gateway to the most coveted treasures – pieces that marry impeccable provenance with exceptional beauty.
In recent months, Sotheby’s jewellery department has decided to reposition and rebrand its jewellery business with several key initiatives. This strategic move sees the renowned “Magnificent Jewels” sales reimagined under the title High Jewelry – a name befitting the scale of the offering and the house’s broader vision for growth. This rebranding comes alongside enhanced formats and services tailored to a discerning, international clientele. What endures and remains unchanged is Sotheby’s hallmark: a commitment to extraordinary quality, rarity, and the impeccable standards of service that define the house.
Geneva Flagship Sale – High Jewelry Auction
This May, the Geneva flagship sale promises to be nothing short of spectacular. As a global epicentre for fine jewellery auctions, Sotheby’s Geneva will once again host a showcase of museum-worthy pieces from the most illustrious Haute Joaillerie maisons. Exceptional diamonds and luminous coloured gemstones will grace the room, culminating in the appearance of a stone destined to become legend: The Mediterranean Blue.
The Fancy Vivid Blue diamond – freshly discovered and polished into a resplendent cushion shape – is among the most significant coloured diamonds ever to come under the hammer at Sotheby’s. Its presence elevates an already remarkable sale into a landmark moment for the house’s historic portfolio.
Each jewel is subject to rigorous vetting by world-class specialists, often supported by laboratory reports, including those of the GIA. The Geneva salesroom has, time and again, achieved record-breaking results, from the fabled jewels of the Duchess of Windsor to the $175 million achieved in 2016 – a world record for any jewellery auction.
The forthcoming High Jewelry auction is not merely an event but an invitation to witness history in the making.
The Great Mediterranean Blue
Among nature’s most precious wonders, few inspire such enduring fascination as the diamond. Yet, from this storied lineage of treasures, one jewel rises to singular distinction: The Mediterranean Blue. Weighing a resplendent 10.03 carats, this Fancy Vivid Blue diamond will take centre stage at Sotheby’s forthcoming High Jewelry sale in Geneva. A marvel of rarity and beauty, it is no exaggeration to call it breathtaking – a word murmured time and again by connoisseurs, collectors, and aficionados who are lucky enough to keep company with this gem.
Blue diamonds are an exceptional occurrence in the natural world, representing a mere 0.3% of all diamonds. Of those, only a scant few achieve the classification of Fancy Vivid Blue. Their entrancing hue, often attributed to trace elements of boron within the stone’s crystal lattice, is a geological rarity in itself. But their appeal lies not only in science; it is something far more transcendent. The deeper the blue, the more it evokes notions of the infinite – purity, mystery, and an elegance that defies time.
The Mediterranean Blue is accompanied by a GIA report certifying its classification as Fancy Vivid Blue of Natural Colour, with a clarity grade of VS2. Furthermore, a GIA monograph – prepared exclusively for this stone – explores its exceptional provenance, chemical composition, and place within the world of gemmology. Describing it as “a remarkable example of one of nature’s rarest and most beguiling colour expressions,” the monograph also reveals that blue diamonds originate deeper within the Earth’s mantle than any other variety.
Perhaps most symbolically, the GIA’s findings point to a natural bond between blue diamonds and the vast oceanic waters, deepening the poetic resonance of their colour. The Mediterranean Blue is, quite simply, a treasure beyond compare.
A Masterpiece Carved by Time and Hand
Discovered in the diamond fields of South Africa, The Mediterranean Blue began its journey as an impressive 31.93-carat rough stone – raw, untamed, and brimming with promise. Over the course of more than six painstaking months, it underwent a transformation of delicacy and precision, culminating in a cushion-modified brilliant-cut diamond of sublime beauty. The entire metamorphosis was well documented, offering a rare visual chronicle of the stone’s evolution from its natural state to a polished gem of exceptional pedigree.
The cutting of a blue diamond is among the most demanding disciplines in the world of fine gemstones. Unlike their colourless counterparts, blue diamonds typically appear as irregular, asymmetrical crystals with unevenly distributed colouration. Achieving a balance between form and hue demands an intimate understanding of the stone’s crystallographic structure, combined with a level of skill possessed by only a few. In this profession, there is no margin for error. A single misjudgment could compromise both the integrity of the stone and the brilliance of its colour.
To realise the full splendour of The Mediterranean Blue, age-old techniques were reimagined with modern retouches. The cushion shape – steeped in tradition and redolent of historical masterpieces such as the Régent and Cullinan II – was considered most appropriate. Its softly rounded silhouette and impeccable symmetry allow the Fancy Vivid Blue hue to radiate with remarkable intensity, revealing the gem’s character with eloquence.
The result is a diamond of such rare distinction that it defies mere categorisation. Deemed Internally Flawless by the GIA and weighing 10.03 carats, it stands as a true exemplar in the rarest of colour classifications.
Final Note
The Mediterranean Blue is a triumph of vision, heritage, and craftsmanship in every sense.
More than a jewel, it is a symbol – its hue echoing the mesmerising depths of Mediterranean waters. In both colour and name, it evokes serenity, power, and presence.
This April, The Mediterranean Blue embarks on a grand tour, beginning on the 8th at Al Saadiyat Island – Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, with subsequent exhibitions in New York and Hong Kong. Its journey concludes in Geneva on 10th May, ahead of the High Jewelry auction on the 13th, where its new owner awaits.
