A 102.39 carat D color flawless oval diamond was sold in a single lot auction for more than $15.6 million. The sale by Sotheby’s Hong Kong was the first time a diamond of more than 100 carats was sold in a combined online and live auction and such an important diamond was offered without reserve.
The diamond was purchased by a private Japanese collector who requested anonymity, Sotheby’s said in a statement. The person named the gem, “Maiko Star” after his second daughter. The same collector bought the 88.22 carat “Manami Star” at Sotheby’s in April 2019.
The sale of the Type IIa diamond the purest and rarest kind of mined diamond resulted in the highest price achieved for a diamond sold online and earned the most bids for a world class diamond. In addition, it was only the eighth diamond of more than 100 carats ever sold at auction. The auction house describes the diamond as “perfect,” not only because of its top color and clarity grades, but also for its “excellent polish and symmetry.”
However, the total price fell far short of what similar diamonds sold for at auction.
