June 30, 16
(IDEX Online News) – In a reversal of recent record diamond sales at auction, the second-largest gem quality stone ever recovered – the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona – failed to sell at yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) Sotheby’s sale, according to a report in The Guardian.
The tennis ball-sized diamond failed to find a buyer, a disappointing result for a stone that Sotheby’s jewelry division chairman David Bennett had described as the “find of a lifetime.”
A Sotheby’s spokeswoman said that bidding reached $61 million – short of the $70 million reserve price.
Lucara announced the recovery of the Type IIa diamond in November.
