The World-Class Maiko Star Diamond

Photo courtesy Sotheby's Press Office, Hong Kong   The Maiko Star Diamond made history on October 5, 2020. This exquisite 102.39-carat, D Color, Flawless Oval diamond sold for $15.69 million in an unprecedented combined online/live auction. This was the first time a diamond of this importance sold without a reserve or pre-sale estimate.  

The Maiko Star Diamond

Miners discovered the original rough diamond, weighing in at a whopping 271 carats, in 2018, at the Victor Mine in Ontario, Canada. Owned by the DeBeers Group, the Victor Mine continued operations until 2019, at which time the owners decommissioned the mine. Shortly after its discovery, Diacore acquired the stone. These master cutters worked wonders with it, producing a "perfect" diamond, according to Sotheby's. It scores highest marks on the 4Cs, with exceptional color and clarity, as well as excellent polish and symmetry. It also falls into the rarest Type IIa subgroup. Only 2% of diamonds fall into this chemically-pure category. Not surprisingly, the Maiko Star diamond earned the distinction as the first diamond over 100 carats to sell in a combined online/live auction. Furthermore, it is one of only eight world-class diamonds over 100 carats ever sold at auction. (source) The connoisseur who purchased the diamond requested anonymity. However, Sotheby's shared a few tidbits to sate our curiosity.  First of all, he promptly named the diamond after his second-born daughter, Maiko. Also, he is from Japan. Finally, he purchased a similar world-class diamond at auction last year, which he named the Manami Star diamond, after his eldest daughter.   The Manami Star Diamond, Press Photo, courtesy Sotheby's  

The Manami Star Diamond

In 2019, he purchased this gorgeous 88.22-carat, D color, flawless oval diamond for $13.7 million. Indeed, he outbid two fierce competitors during the Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite auction at Sotheby's Hong Kong. (source) Like her sister's new namesake, Manami's diamond also received distinction as a perfect diamond. Its rough stone, weighing in at 242 carats, originated in the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. Debswana, a collective business between the Botswana government and the DeBeers Group, owns the mine. (source) At this time last year, this gorgeous oval cut diamond became one of only three oval diamonds over 50 carats sold at auction. This week its sister, the Maiko Star diamond, increased this number to four. I wonder if we will see another oval-cut flawless diamond at auction at next year's Hong Kong auction? Will our favorite collector outbid his competitors again? ~Angela Magnotti Andrews