March & April To See Sales Of Big Blue Diamonds
March 10th, 2013 by Noam Flint
The tradition of assigning specific gemstones to correspond to the twelve signs of the zodiac, or to the twelve months of the year, is an ancient one. In the Jewish tradition, the stones in the breastplate worn by Aaron, the brother of Moses, and by all subsequent Temple High Priests, were said to be connected to the twelve Hebrew months, according to the historian Josephus.
In the Christian tradition, twelve gemstones were said to represent Jesus’ twelve apostles, and the pious would wear a different one of these stones every month, according to historian Bruce Knuth.
The specific stones attributed to each month have varied across cultures an over the centuries in the last five hundred years, from Pakistan to Poland. But in the English-speaking world in the last century, the month of March has been consistently represented by the blue aquamarine stone and the month of April has always been ascribed to diamonds. Perhaps it’s by chance, and perhaps it’s by choice, and perhaps it’s by some form of enchantment; but diamonds of the color blue will be making headlines in March and April of 2013, in keeping with their American and British birthstones. The next two months will bear witness to some astounding sales figures, as several blue diamonds of significant size are publicly auctioned off.
1965 Bulgari Blue Diamond Ring Sold by Bonhams (picture Bonhams)
I. Hennig and Fusion Tenders are planning to sell a rare 3-carat rough blue diamond in the weeks to come, either in Belgium or in Israel. At the end of April, London auctioneers Bonhams will be selling off an extremely rare 1965 Bulgari blue diamond ring, expected to sell for between $1.5 and 2.25 million. And in only one weeks’ time, Tzoffey’s will be selling off a 1.93 carat vivid blue unique heart shape diamond at the U.S. / International Diamond Week at the Israel Diamond Exchange. Keep in mind that a fancy vivid blue diamond measuring less than half a carat might cost millions of dollars, so imagine the fortune that a multiple-carat vivid blue could fetch! This year, March and April are definitely going to live up to their stone-sake.
