It will be raining diamonds in Geneva this May when some of the most stunning of these precious stones go on sale at a Christie’s auction of magnificent jewels.

Two standout gems are the exceptional 14.62 carat Oppenheimer Blue, the largest and finest fancy Vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction, and the massive 36.09 carat Pohl diamond from the private collection of Princess Gabriela of Leiningen. 

The Oppenheimer Blue will lead Christie’s auction of Magnificent Jewels, held at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in the Swiss city on May 18. 

This exceptional blue diamond, named in honour of its previous owner Sir Philip Oppenheimer, is estimated at $38-45 million.

‘In May, Christie’s will present the largest and finest Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever seen. This stunning Fancy Vivid Blue rectangular-cut gem promises to create a media sensation as it travels around the world, fascinating both collectors and gem enthusiasts alike, before it makes its way to the auction block in Geneva,” says Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewellery.

It is well known that extraordinary skill is required to extract the ‘best’ colour from fancy colored diamonds. Achieving the strongest colors in traditional shapes such as the 15 carat Oppenheimer Vivid Blue can only be achieved with a highly saturated intrinsic color of the rough diamond. This blue diamond’s color and clarity combined with its traditional cutting style and provenance is truly exceptional, comments Tom Moses, Executive Vice President of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

The color of the Oppenheimer Blue is so remarkable that it was graded Fancy Vivid. In blue diamonds, Fancy Vivid specifically describes those that are medium to dark in tone and strong to very strong in saturation. In a past GIA study of 462 blue diamonds, only 1 per cent were Fancy Vivid. Although blue diamonds only account for 0.1 per cent of those originating from the Premier mine, a seemingly negligible figure, a rough estimate of global blue diamond production would be less than 0.0001 percent and by some rough diamonds calculations, only one stone in 200,000 rough diamonds mined. 

One of the earliest historic blue diamonds to have appeared for sale at Christie’s was the Idol’s Eye on the July 14, 1865, in the saleroom of Christie’s London, where the catalogue described a ‘splendid large diamond known as the Idol’s Eye set round with 18 smaller brilliant and framework of small brilliants’. It sold for a momentous £740 equivalent to $86,000 today.

In more recent times, very few blue diamonds have been offered for sale. In 2008, Christie’s London presented the Wittelsbach, a cushion-shaped Fancy Deep Greyish-Blue diamond which sold for a then record price of $24.3 million. In 2014, the 13.22 carat Winston Blue diamond realized $23.7 million at Christie’s Geneva. Given the extreme scarcity of strongly colored blue diamonds of importance sizes, records continue to be broken year after year. In November 2015, a 12 carat Fancy Vivid blue diamond achieved a staggering $48.5 million at $4m per carat, exemplifying the ever growing demand for the very best.

The incredible Fancy Vivid Blue diamond was previously owned by Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London. Sir Philip began working in the family business at De Beers London in 1934, whilst sitting at a bench sorting and valuing diamonds. As head of the London-based Central Selling Organisation for 45 years and serving as Chairman for the Diamond Trading Company branch, Sir Philip oversaw a diamond sales cartel set up by De Beers to keep strict control over the diamond supply worldwide. Today he is remembered as a master negotiator and the foremost architect of stability in the international diamond industry – and, of course, for his incomparable gem collection, including the magnificent Oppenheimer Blue.

Meanwhile, the Pohl Diamond is the highlight piece in the ‘Superb Jewels from the Collection of HSH Gabriela Princess zu Leiningen’, which will form part of the Magnificent Jewels sale. 

This rare 36 carat, D colour Pohl diamond was the first major diamond to be polished in America. Mined in 1934 as a 287 carat rough stone, it was sold in 1943 to Bernice Chrysler Garbisch of the Chrysler Family. In 1998 it was acquired for the Princess at Cartier. This famous diamond is offered with an estimate of $3.8-5.5 million.

A total of 46 important pieces from German Princess’s collection will be auctioned as part of the sale.

Estimated to realize in excess of $15 million, the jewels represent the eye of a passionate jewellery collector, with prestigious signatures such as Cartier, Schlumberger, Boucheron, Tiffany & Co, and Van Cleef & Arpels. 

“Aside from their rare beauty, many of these jewels bare a compelling history of their own. To me they embody wonderful and loving personal memories as well as exciting chapters of my life, full of colour, travel and encounters. They have brought me great joy and happiness. Now I wish their journey to continue, bringing joy and happiness to their new owners,” says Princess Gabriela, the former wife of the Aga Khan.

“Sophisticated and classically beautiful, HSH Gabriela Princess zu Leiningen’s extensive collection is a true reflection of its owner. A woman of charisma, wisdom, elegance and above all, joy.  Each jewel represents a special moment in her life and the happiness she experienced at the time.  We are honored to present superb jewels from her collection, and extend to all the wonderful karma it brings,” says François Curiel, Chairman Christie’s Asia Pacific.

Mined in 1934 as a 287 carat rough stone, the Pohl was the first major diamond to be polished in America and was sold in 1943 to Bernice Chrysler Garbisch of the Chrysler Family. In 1998 it was acquired for the Princess at Cartier. 

More jewels by Cartier include a sensational emerald and diamond necklace suspending a richly coloured Colombian emerald of almost 40 carats, ($2.5-3.5 million). Princess Gabriela was photographed on many occasions wearing the necklace and the matching earrings, one of them being at the official dinner preceding the wedding of Prince Felipe of Spain and Letizia Ortiz in Madrid, in 2004. 

Another magnificent parure, also by Cartier, is set with rare Burmese sapphires. The V-shaped necklace suspends a 55 carat cushion-shaped sapphire ($2-3 million) and is complemented by a pair of ear pendants, with diamond-set star tops and pear-shaped sapphire pendants, each weighing approximately 25 carats ($600,000-800,000).

Also on sale is an elegant cultured pearl and diamond fringe necklace, which belonged to Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan (1906-2000, the wife of Sultan Mohammed Shah, Aga Khan III (1877-1957). When it entered the collection of Princess Gabriela, a matching pair of ear pendants and a bangle were commissioned to Van Cleef & Arpels in order to wear them as a complete parure ($200,000-300,000).

Princess Gabriela, a trained lawyer, has been involved in educational, health and cultural development programmes throughout her life. 

In 2004, she founded the Princess Inaara Foundation, an organisation committed to supporting projects in both Germany and in developing countries, striving to protect and ameliorate the rights of women and children in need, often through microcredit projects. She campaigns for greater understanding and tolerance across diverse cultures, whilst also being committed to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and continues to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees for the German AIDS Foundation.

All the pieces in the Magnificent Jewels sale are currently on a world tour, and will be on display in Geneva ahead of the sale from May 13 to 18 from 10 am to 6 pm.