Sotheby's Offers Rare 102ct. Diamond

RAPAPORT... Sotheby's has unveiled a rare white diamond that, it claims,is the only known round brilliant-cut diamond over 100 carats possessing the highestcut, color and clarity grades.Sotheby's Diamonds, the group's retail boutique, revealedthe 102.34-carat, D-color, flawless stone to mark the first anniversary of its salon on London's New Bond Street, the auction house said Thursday. The polished diamond - which is available for private purchase,rather than at auction - originated from a 425-carat rough that De Beersunearthed in Botswana. Diacore, a South Africa-based manufacturer, spent six months cutting and polishing it inJohannesburg and New York. The round shape is the most sought-after for colorlessstones, as it gives the most "light and life," Sotheby's said. However, inauction history, not even one of the seven 100-carat-plus, D-color diamondsthat have sold was brilliant-cut. Large, round-brilliant diamonds are rare because cuttersgenerally try to maximize carat weight when working with the rough. Thatusually means choosing a fancy shape such as cushion, emerald or pear, theauction house explained. "In the course of my long career, which has brought me closeto some of the greatest stones the earth has ever yielded, I have notencountered anything quite like this," said Patti Wong, founder and chairman ofSotheby's Diamonds. "With its outstanding weight, its perfect color, clarity andcut, it is a masterpiece of nature brought to life by human hand, blazing witha brilliant firework-like display of almost every color on the spectrum -mesmerizing to behold," she added. The diamond is on view to the public until Friday at Sotheby's galleries on NewBond Street.Image: Sotheby's