The first Monday in May is traditionally fêted as the biggest day in the fashion calendar as celebrities gather for the annual Met Gala in New York. But it is also a grand day out for even grander jewels. Case in point? The historic Bulgari Laguna Blu Diamond made a star appearance on the red carpet at the Met Gala 2023, worn by Priyanka Chopra Jones. It had been set into a white diamond-studded platinum necklace inspired by the laurel wreaths of Roman Emperors.
A 11.16 carat, unmodified pear-shaped blue diamond, the Laguna Blu was originally set into a ring by the Roman jeweller Bulgari for a private client over fifty years ago and has remained virtually unseen since. It sold for over $25 million when it appeared again at Sotheby’s’ Geneva Luxury Week in May, following a ferocious four-minute bidding war.
Blue diamonds are amongst the very rarest of the rare. Only one out of every 10,000 diamonds displays a ‘fancy’ colour and fewer still, about one in 25,000 diamonds, has enough hue to be considered an ‘intensely’ coloured stone. Finding any coloured diamond weighing over 10 carats is considered almost miraculous by experts. With its mesmerising cornflower blue hue and exceptional depth, the Laguna Blu has received the highest grading for a blue diamond by the Gemological Institute of America, making the gem a true one-in-a-million find for its next lucky owner.
Bulgari certainly has form when it comes to rare coloured gems. The jeweller was beloved by Hollywood greats like Elizabeth Taylor, Ingrid Bergman and Sophia Loren for its flamboyant and exuberant use of rainbow-coloured gemstones in its high jewellery, a tradition which it continues within its collections to this day. The house initially mounted the Laguna Blu diamond as a ring on a pared-back band for its original owner, exposing all the facets of the stone to their best advantage.
After its stellar turn at fashion’s most glamorous event, the Bulgari Laguna Blu travelled to Geneva, where was offered on sale for the first time since it was first commissioned, at Sotheby’s prestigious Luxury Week. Fewer than 10 fancy vivid blue diamonds weighing over 10 carats have come up for auction any where in the world during the past half century, but four of these were also sold by Sotheby’s. So watch this sparkling space, as there is certainly more in store for this particular lucky blue.
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