‘Spectacular’ 26-Carat Diamond Going Up for Auction in London

This 26.36-carat round brilliant-cut diamond will be offered as Lot 8 in Elmwood’s Fine Jewellery auction on March 17.

London—A 26-carat round diamond is set to be the star of Elmwood’s Fine Jewellery auction in London next week.

It is the largest white diamond to come to market in the United Kingdom in more than a decade, the auction house said.

The diamond, set in a size 6 platinum ring, is VVS1 clarity, I-color, and is a triple X diamond, meaning the Gemological Institute of America has graded it as having excellent cut, excellent symmetry, and excellent polish.

A GIA facsimile report confirms no fluorescence.

The pre-sale estimate is £800,000-£1 million ($1 million-$1.3 million).

“This is an extraordinarily rare diamond. Its combination of size, VVS1 clarity, and triple excellent cut is something you simply do not see in the U.K. market,” said Joe Kendrick, Elmwood’s head of sale.

“Stones of this caliber come along perhaps once in a decade, and this solitaire is a spectacular example of what makes white diamonds so prized by collectors worldwide.”

The last comparable sale in the U.K. was a 26.29-carat diamond ring Sotheby’s London offered in 2017.

Initially believed to be a piece of costume jewelry, the ring was purchased for £10 (about $13) at a car boot sale, the U.K equivalent of a yard sale.

It sold for £656,760 (more than $800,000).

Elmwood’s Fine Jewellery auction will take place in London on March 17.