UNDATED (CBS) -- One of the rarest and most famous diamonds in the world, the legendary Archduke Joseph Diamond will be offered at auction in Geneva on November 13th.
This magnificent gem combines an impressive size of 76.02 carats, perfect color, and internally flawless clarity. Its origin is traced to the ancient Golconda mines in India, the source of the world's most coveted historical diamonds. As the star lot of the fall jewelry auction season, this spectacular diamond presents an unprecedented opportunity for both new and established collectors to own an incomparable item of historical and gemological significance. While the auction estimate is available only upon request, the Archduke Joseph Diamond is expected to achieve well in excess of US$15 million.
François Curial, International Head of Christie's Jewellery Department, noted: "The magic of auction sometimes brings back great gems to our salerooms more than once. The Archduke Joseph Diamond created a sensation when Christie's Geneva offered it for sale the first time in November 1993 where it realized CHF 9.7 million (US$ 6.5 million) - the equivalent of $10.5 million today. This November we have the privilege to give both new and established collectors the opportunity to own a piece of history once again."
The Archduke Joseph Diamond shares its Golconda origins with the most beautiful and illustrious diamonds in the world, including the Koh-i-noor, in the Royal Collection at the Tower of London; the Regent, considered the finest diamond in the French Crown Jewels, at the Musée du Louvre in Paris; and the Hope, gifted by Harry Winston to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. Located in South Central India, the Golconda diamond fields were an ancient source that traces its roots back to 400 B.C. Up until about 1725, when diamonds were discovered in Brazil, Golconda and a small mine in Borneo were the world's only sources of these precious gems. Universally esteemed as the world's finest diamonds, Golconda diamonds have a special whiteness often described as soft, watery, and pure, so that light appears to pass through the stone completely unimpeded.