6.03-carat fancy vivid blue diamond failed to sell. Its estimate was $9-$12 million
Sotheby’s
A 6.03-carat fancy vivid blue, internally flawless diamond failed to find a buyer at Sotheby’s Geneva High Jewelry Sale. The gem, which carried a pre-sale estimate of $9 million to $12 million, was the top lot of the May 12 auction at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva.
Quig Bruning, global head of jewelry, said Friday, the diamond continues to generate interest from collectors after the auction.
“Although the diamond didn’t find a buyer during the auction, we are now in conversations with several interested parties and are confident that it will find a new home soon,” Bruning said.
Despite the setback, the sale totaled more than $30 million, with 93% of lots sold. Sotheby’s reported its highest participation in a Geneva jewelry sale in more than five years, averaging more than five bidders per lot sold. Many lots exceeded their high estimates. Collectors from more than 30 countries participated, led by buyers from the U.S., Asia, Europe and the U.K.
“The momentum in the jewelry market which we have been witnessing since the last quarter of 2025, and more recently in our High Jewelry Sale in Hong Kong, is still very much in evidence in Geneva,” Jessica Wyndham, head of high jewelry at Sotheby’s Geneva, said in a statement. “Collectors have again favored colored gemstones above all else, but it’s been exciting to see a white diamond resurgence, with several white diamond jewels selling in excess of their high estimates. And, of course, there is still a lot of love for signed jewelry, including the bold 1970s and 1980s styles such as striking pieces from Bulgari, many of which soared above their high estimates.”
Top lots included fancy colored diamonds, important colored gemstones and signed jewels.
A pair of unmounted diamonds, sold for $3.2 million
Sotheby’s
The leading lot of the sale was a pair of unmounted diamonds described by Sotheby’s as “perfectly matched.” Each weighed 18.38 carats and was graded Type IIa, D color, with one graded flawless and the other internally flawless. The pair sold for more than $3.2 million. Sourced by De Beers from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine, the diamonds are part of a collaboration with Sotheby’s to offer major flawless diamonds with notable provenance at its High Jewelry auctions.
The Peacock of Ceylon, important unmounted sapphire, sold for $2 million
Sotheby’s
The second-highest lot was the “Peacock of Ceylon,” a 102.4-carat unmounted cushion-shaped unheated sapphire, which sold for nearly $2 million.
A 4.12-carat fancy pink diamond, sold for $1.4 million
Sotheby’s
Another highlight was a 4.12-carat pear modified brilliant-cut fancy pink diamond ring that sold for $1.4 million. The internally flawless Type IIa diamond, set between tapered baguette diamond shoulders, was also graded by the Gemological Institute of America as having excellent polish.
A necklace with 14 emeralds mixed with diamonds sold for $2.4 million
Sotheby’s
A large necklace featuring 13 drop-shaped Colombian emeralds and a central emerald accented by baguette-, old mine-, old European- and single-cut diamonds sold for $2.4 million, above estimates.
Signed jewels also performed strongly.
An emerald and diamond necklace by Bucherer, circa 1986, sold for $1 million
Sotheby’s
An emerald and diamond necklace by Bucherer, circa 1986, featuring five step-cut emeralds and pavé-set brilliant-cut diamonds, sold for $1 million.
A Van Cleef & Arpels platinum and gold transformable necklace with a detachable brooch-pendant sold for $605,700. The piece featured pear-shaped, marquise-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds arranged in tiered clusters, while the necklace itself could also be detached and worn as a bracelet.
The seventh-highest lot was a circa 1950 diamond bracelet centered with a 7.04-carat unheated Kashmir sapphire, which sold for $622,000.
Two additional high-estimate lots also failed to sell.
One was a ring set with a 14.6-carat pear-shaped fancy brownish orangy pink diamond accented by brilliant-cut diamonds. It carried an estimate of $831,122 to $1.2 million.
An important white diamond ring featuring two marquise-shaped diamonds weighing 7.20 and 6.68 carats, both graded D color and internally flawless with excellent polish and symmetry, also went unsold. Its estimate was $639,000 to $1 million.