Image credit: Phillips Hong Kong
A 118.35-carat royal blue sapphire was set into a necklace by Bulgari in 2004 as part of its High Jewelry Collection. Appearing at an auction for the first time, it is to be sold later this by month by Phillips Hong Kong for an estimate of $4.5m.
According to Phillips, the royal blue sapphire, a Sri Lankan unheated cushion-shaped gem, scored an incredible 98 points in the Gubelin Gemstone Rating for quality, rarity, and salience.
The 118.35-carat royal blue sapphire is among the largest sapphires ever offered at international auctions in the past three decades.
However, larger gems exist including the 486.52-carat Giant of the Orient, the 422.99-carat Logan Blue Sapphire are on display at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Natural History, and the 392.52-carat Blue Belle of Asia.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
