The Blue Moon to highlight Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale

The luminous Blue Moon diamond, named in part due to its exquisite rarity, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s November auction.

Gemological Institute of America has also graded the gem “internally flawless”.

The Blue Moon diamond was found in South Africa’s Cullinan Mine and has been shown around the world with onlookers admiring its radiance and shine, which some say is magical.

A rare 12-carat, blue-colored diamond, known as Blue Moon, is expected to fetch $35 million to $55 million in a November 11 Geneva auction, global auction house Sotheby’s said Thursday. That 24.78 carats pink diamond brought just over $46 million.

The hue on the Blue Moon is, according to the GIA Monograph, “likely to have never before been seen within such a large diamond, or any gemstone”.

The stone comes from a 29.62 Connecticut . piece of rough discovered by Petra Diamonds at the Cullinan mine in South Africa in January 2014.

“The Blue Moon diamond is a simply sensational stone of flawless colour and purity”, David Bennett, who heads Sotheby’s global jewellery division, said.

The record for a fancy vivid blue diamond was set by Sotheby’s New York last November, with the 9.75 carats one, the Zoe Diamond, selling for $32.64 million or $3,348,205 a carat. “This gem will now take its place among the most famous gems in the world”. The Blue Moon Diamond’s name refers to the expression “once in a blue moon”, which is used to describe something which happens only extremely rarely.