The Oppenheimer Blue: A De Beers Legacy Stone's Record Sale

In May 2016, the 14.62-carat rectangular-cut Oppenheimer Blue sold at Christie's Geneva for approximately US$57.5 million, setting the auction record for any jewel at that time. Christie's documented the stone and result in its official sale release.

A Stone Named for a De Beers Chairman

The diamond takes its name from Sir Philip Oppenheimer, a former chairman of the De Beers Diamond Syndicate. Its reported GIA color grade was Fancy Vivid Blue. That is the stone's complete graded intensity description, not a universal ranking or price instruction for every blue diamond.

Twenty-Five Minutes of Bidding

The final result made it the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction at the time. The Pink Star's April 2017 sale later exceeded that total. These records describe two individual auction events and should be kept separate from valuation of other stones.

Understanding Natural Blue Color

Boron is associated with many natural blue diamonds, but GIA research also documents blue color produced by other defects and mechanisms. See GIA's study of natural-color blue, gray, and violet diamonds. A laboratory report is needed to evaluate color origin for a particular stone. See current availability in our blue diamond guide.