Geneva, April 15:— A rare and historic blue diamond known as The Golconda Blue, once treasured by Indian royalty, is set to be auctioned at Christie’s “Magnificent Jewels” sale in Geneva on May 14. Weighing 23.24 carats and mounted in a contemporary ring by Parisian jeweller JAR, the gem is valued between $35 million and $50 million (approximately ₹430 crore).
“Exceptional noble gems of this caliber come to market once in a lifetime,” said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewelry. “With its royal heritage, extraordinary color, and exceptional size, The Golconda Blue is truly one of the rarest blue diamonds in the world.”
The gem originates from the legendary Golconda mines of present-day Telangana, known for producing iconic stones like the Kohinoor. Christie’s noted that the diamond was once part of the collection of Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar II of Indore, a ruler celebrated for his modern sensibilities during the 1920s and ’30s.
In 1923, the Maharaja’s father commissioned French jeweller Chaumet to set the diamond in a bracelet, after purchasing the famed “Indore Pears,” two large Golconda diamonds. By the 1930s, Parisian house Mauboussin had redesigned elements of the royal collection, incorporating The Golconda Blue into a necklace with the Indore Pears. The necklace was later immortalized in a portrait of the Maharani of Indore by French artist Bernard Boutet de Monvel.
After India’s independence, the diamond changed hands. In 1947, it was acquired by famed New York jeweller Harry Winston, who mounted it in a brooch beside a matching white diamond. The brooch later entered the collection of the Maharaja of Baroda, reaffirming the stone’s deep ties to Indian princely states.
Christie’s, with a 259-year legacy of showcasing significant Golconda diamonds like the Archduke Joseph and the Wittelsbach, described The Golconda Blue as one of the finest examples of its kind — a blend of noble history and rare natural beauty.
