Muscat: Ahead of its sale in New York, the 303.10-carat Golden Canary diamond, considered to be the world’s largest flawless diamond, was unveiled by Sotheby’s Dubai at their gallery in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) on Tuesday.
According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the yellow stone weighs 303.10 carats to make it the largest flawless diamond.
The unique stone made its debut ahead of its world tour that will take it to Taipei, Hong Kong and Geneva before arriving in New York for its sale on December 7 as part of the Sotheby’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale.
Valued at about US$15 million by Sotheby’s, when it goes under the hammer it will be without a reserve price — meaning it will sell for whatever the highest price is on the day.
The stone is pear-cut, but it has had various forms since its discovery. The rough was discovered in the early 1980s in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo in the backyard of a home near a diamond mining site.
The significance of the stone quickly became clear and by 1984, it was on display in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in New York, as the largest rough diamond ever recorded.
With its unusual golden yellow colour, the rough stone was both a record-breaking size and flawless.
Cutting the stone took almost five years to complete. The result was 15 separate stones, the largest of which weighed 407.5 carats and was named the Incomparable Diamond.
With the latest diamond-cutting technology it has been recut recently to become the Golden Canary, this 303-carat gemstone.
Officially certified by the GIA as being a “fancy deep brownish yellow” diamond, it is called the Golden Canary as it describes accurately the diamond’s unique colour.
In addition to the diamond, which will be on display in Dubai for three days, Sotheby’s is also staging a private selling exhibition of hand-embellished handbags, contemporary jewellery by the Lebanese designer Gaelle Khoury, and photography from the Middle East, from Monday to November 4.
Visitors can view the diamond during its stay in Dubai, at both the Sotheby’s gallery and at the Dubai Diamond Exchange, where it will be on Wednesday.
