ByAnthony DeMarco,
Senior Contributor.
A 6.03-carat fancy vivid blue, internally flawless diamond failed to find a buyer at Sotheby’s Geneva High Jewelry Sale. The gem, which carried a pre-sale estimate of $9 million to $12 million, was the top lot of the May 12 auction at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva.
Despite the setback, the sale totaled more than $30 million, with 93% of lots sold. Sotheby’s reported its highest participation in a Geneva jewelry sale in more than five years, averaging more than five bidders per lot sold. Many lots exceeded their high estimates. Collectors from more than 30 countries participated, led by buyers from the U.S., Asia, Europe and the U.K.
“The momentum in the jewelry market which we have been witnessing since the last quarter of 2025, and more recently in our High Jewelry Sale in Hong Kong, is still very much in evidence in Geneva,” Jessica Wyndham, head of high jewelry at Sotheby’s Geneva, said in a statement. “Collectors have again favored colored gemstones above all else, but it’s been exciting to see a white diamond resurgence, with several white diamond jewels selling in excess of their high estimates. And, of course, there is still a lot of love for signed jewelry, including the bold 1970s and 1980s styles such as striking pieces from Bulgari, many of which soared above their high estimates.”
