The renowned Golconda Blue diamond that was expected to be the main attraction of the Christie’s Magnificent Jewels event on May 14, 2025, has been delisted from bidding items. The unnamed possessor sold the stone through private channels, instead of presenting it to the public. It’s now in possession of one of his distant relatives. The Forbes statement suggests that this had nothing to do with market politics, but rather with a personal choice of the previous owner.
(Photo courtesy of Christie’s)
The precious stone weighs over 23 carats. Based on its natural coloration, the Golconda diamond can be classified as a vivid blue stone. If the gem hadn’t been delisted from the event, it would have been the biggest of its kind ever to be publicly offered for bidding.
(Photo courtesy of Christie’s)
Set in a fingerpiece designed by an indisputable genius, J. A. Rosenthal (JAR, for short), the diamond’s predicted price was $40-51 million. Previously, the gem was on a global tour and had already been exhibited in China before the final decision to remove it was taken.
The Golconda Blue, with a shine as brilliant as its past, was once found at the legendary mines of South India. As you probably know, this region has produced quite a few of the most globally famous diamonds, e.g., the Koh-i-Nur, which is now on proud display in the Tower of London.
A hundred years ago, the blue miracle belonged to Yeshwant Rao, one of the great noblemen of 20th-century India. At the time, it was set along with the “Indore Pears” in a sautoir (a French term for a long, about 40-inch necklace highlighting a tassel or other detail). Sir Winston purchased the diamond Pears in 1946 and the famous blue diamond several months later. Then he sold it to another noble person from the Baroda region, set within a brooch. Interestingly, he later bought the same item again to reset it and put it on sale once more. This long-winded story is actually how the most recent owner purchased this blue miracle.
Even though the famous blue gem will no longer be shown at the May Christie’s auction, the event’s attendees would still be impressed by a magnificent 21-item JAR collection. The auction house states that it’s one of the priciest and most aesthetically striking designer collections available for public bidding.
Most pieces were acquired by a private collector about 20 years ago. Their total estimated value is about three million dollars. Pave-set stones and offbeat metal and gem color combinations will be featured in many of the items.
(Photo courtesy of Christie’s)
One of the highlights of the event is a chain necklace with dozens of colorful gems, such as tourmaline, garnet, aquamarine, peridot, and others. The collection features a lot of floral motifs, for example, pansy-themed earrings with purple, blue, orange, and green-colored gems, as well as an apricot flower bracelet featuring orange-yellow enamel and dozens of diamonds. An iridescent red Camellia brooch presented at the auction will feature a total of 174 carats of high-quality rubies. JAR also seemed to have a great fascination with parrot tulips: this flower is featured not once, but twice in the collection (in a brooch and a bangle).
Video presentation from Christie’s website.
Of course, we won’t list the whole list here so as not to spoil the surprise. However, if you are interested in specific details about the upcoming auction, find more information on Christie’s official webpage.
