Christie’s auction house sold a rare 5.5-carat triangular-cut blue-green diamond called the “Ocean Dream” for $17.3 million on May 13, 2026, setting a record price for a stone of its kind. The sale took place during Christie’s Geneva jewelry auction and drew swift interest, concluding in about 20 minutes, according to Rahul Kadakia, president of Christie’s Asia Pacific.
The diamond, described by Christie’s as the largest fancy vivid blue-green diamond known to exist, was discovered in Central Africa in the 1990s. The auction price significantly surpassed the presale estimate of 7 to 10 million Swiss francs (approximately $9 to $13 million).
Weighing 5.50 carats and 9.4 grams, the “Ocean Dream” features a triangular cut, also known as trilliant cut, and is mounted on a ring set with sculpted rock crystal, round diamonds, and pink diamonds. It has previously been exhibited as part of the Smithsonian Splendour of Diamonds Exhibition in 2003.
The buyer was an undisclosed private client, according to Christie’s. The record price more than doubled the previous $8.5 million the gem had sold for at a 2014 Christie’s auction.
Why it matters
The sale reflects growing collector demand for rare, colored diamonds, which represent a small fraction of all diamonds mined globally. Blue-green diamonds are especially scarce, making the “Ocean Dream” a unique gemstone in both rarity and value.
Christie’s and Sotheby’s, the two leading auction houses in fine jewelry, have seen increasing interest in high-profile colored diamonds. While Christie’s achieved a record for this blue-green diamond, a similar rare 6-carat fancy vivid blue diamond from South Africa’s Cullinan mine recently failed to sell at Sotheby’s Geneva auction but continues to attract potential buyers.
Background
Historically, colored diamonds have fetched high auction prices. In 2023, Christie’s sold a rare 17.61-carat blue diamond for $43.8 million, and in 2018, the “Pink Legacy” diamond went for more than $50 million. The highest auction price recorded globally for a diamond was the Pink Star, a 59.60-carat fancy vivid pink diamond, which sold for $71.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in 2017.
The “Ocean Dream” stands out as a notable addition to this trend of record-setting colored diamond sales, emphasizing the continued strength of the luxury gemstone market and the premium placed on rare colors and cuts.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following source:
Read more Business stories on Goka World News.