Graff Buys 21ct. Polished Yellow from Alrosa

RAPAPORT... Alrosa has sold a 20.69-carat polished yellow diamond to Graff, achieving one of the highest prices per caratfor a stone of its type in recent years, the miner said Tuesday. Alrosa did not disclose the final sale price of the Asscher-cut, fancy-vivid-yellow,VS1-clarity stone. However, the sale was significant as itwas made without the involvement of other parties, the company noted. "[This] is more than just a regular deal for Alrosa,"explained CEO Sergey Ivanov. "This is the first direct purchase of Graff madewithout intermediaries, and we hope that it will be the beginning of a newphase of our work." The diamond, named the Firebird, is part of the three-stoneSpectacle collection dedicated to the Russian ballet. The set also includes a14.8-carat, fancy-vivid purple-pink diamond called Spirit of the Rose, and athird stone Alrosa will reveal after it is cut and polished. The polished diamond was cut from a 34.17-carat rough stonenamed Stravinsky, which Alrosa discovered at its Ebelyakh mine in Yakutia in2017. The miner named it the Firebird because it resembles a burst of flame,reflections of sunlight on crystal water, and a trail of sparkles coming fromthe tail of a firebird, it said. "This fancy vivid yellow...is truly unique," noted GIA chiefquality officer John King. "One can only imagine the wealth of rough colorsthat comes from that fire that sparks the diamond's lightness. It is extremelyrare and very special in the world of diamonds to see [a] unique yellow diamondlike this." Image: The 20.7-carat Firebird diamond. (Alrosa)