De Beers and Sotheby’s unveil 28.88 carat Jwaneng diamond to be auctioned in April

The 28.88 carat Jwaneng Diamond will be auctioned by De Beers and Sotheby's in Hong Kong: CREDIT - De Beers

Jewellery

De Beers and Sotheby’s unveil 28.88 carat Jwaneng diamond to be auctioned in April

The Jwaneng 28.88 is the highlight of Sotheby's upcoming Luxury Sales in Hong Kong and was celebrated with a star-studded party in London

BY Kim Parker

March 27 2026

By Kim Parker

The Jwaneng 28.88, a flawless 28.88 carat diamond from Botswana will be the star of Sotheby’s Luxury Sales auction in Hong Kong this April. Read more about it below.

There was a double celebration in London last week as De Beers took over Maison Assouline in London to host a star-studded party to launch its own landmark book, A Diamond Is Forever: The Making of a Cultural Icon 1926 – 2026, celebrating 100 years of storytelling and the significance of diamonds in art and the cultural world.

The 28.88 carat Jwaneng Diamond will be auctioned by De Beers and Sotheby's in Hong Kong — The 28.88 carat Jwaneng Diamond, pictured here top left, will be auctioned by De Beers and Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, alongside other astonishing jewels: CREDIT – De Beers

At the same time, the diamond specialist unveiled the Jwaneng 28.88, a magnificent, internally flawless 28.88-carat white diamond which will be auctioned as part of Sotheby’s Luxury Sales event in Hong Kong on the 23rd April.

Celebrities such as Game of Thrones star Nathalie Emmanuel, Saltburn actor Archie Madekwe, model Poppy Delevigne and Ruby Sear of The Gentlemen all arrived wearing natural diamond jewellery to celebrate both the sparkling new coffee table tome, and the astonishing diamond.

Archie Madekwe in Hirsh London jewellery at the unveiling of the Jwaneng 28.88 diamond from De Beers – CREDIT: De Beers

Emmanuel chose a selection of pink and yellow diamond pieces from ANANYA, while Madekwe opted for a solitaire ring set with a fancy intense orange-yellow pear-cut diamond by Hirsh London and Poppy Delevigne styled yellow diamond and plantinum jewels by Boodles with her pale yellow gown.

Poppy Delevigne in Boodles diamond and platinum jewellery – CREDIT: De Beers

Revealed as a surprise during the party, the Jwaneng 28.88 hails from the famous Jwaneng Mine in Botwana (whose name translates to ‘place of small stones’ in Setswana). The internally flawless, D-colour stone comes with an estimate of US$2.2 – 2.8 million, and will appear at a live jewellery sale at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, alongside other exceptional diamonds from the same mine. It was cut from a 114.83-carat rough stone after months of study and planning.

“The Jwaneng 28.88 is a perfect emblem of De Beers’ unmatched legacy in diamonds. It’s at once a vanishingly rare feat of nature, combined with a masterclass in diamond cutting and polishing,” say Quig Bruning, Sotheby’s Head of Jewels Americas and EMEA. “Natural diamonds truly are forever and I cannot think of a better stone to symbolise this special collaboration.”

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Published: March 27, 2026 Updated: March 27, 2026