Image credit: Petra Diamonds
Petra Diamonds is set to sell its exceptional 39.34 carat exceptional Type IIb blue diamond recovered at the Cullinan Diamond Mine in South Africa.
It said viewings of the diamond will first take place in Antwerp in mid-June followed by Dubai, Hong Kong, and New York.
The tender on Petra’s online bidding platform is planned to close on or around Monday 12th July 2021.
Petra recovered the 39.34-carat Type IIb blue diamond last April.
The Cullinan mine is renowned as a source of large, high-quality gem diamonds, including Type II stones, as well as being the world's most important source of very rare blue diamonds.
Notable diamonds historically produced from the Cullinan Mine include Premier Rose (353 carats rough); the Niarchos (426 carats rough); the De Beers Centenary (599 carats rough); the Golden Jubilee (755 carats rough); and the Taylor-Burton diamond (69 carats polished).
The Cullinan mine earned its place in history with the discovery of the Cullinan diamond in 1905, the largest rough gem diamond ever found at 3,106 carats.
The iconic stone was cut into the two most important diamonds which form part of the Crown Jewells in the Tower of London – the First Star of Africa, which is mounted at the top of the Sovereign's Sceptre and which at 530 carats is the largest flawless cut diamond in the world, and the Second Star of Africa, a 317-carat polished diamond which forms the centrepiece of the Imperial State Crown.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
