Christie’s is set to offer The Golconda Blue—the largest Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond ever to be offered at auction.
Weighing 23.24 carats, this remarkable gemstone will headline Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale, taking place live on 14th May 2025 at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva, with an estimate of $35- $50 million (Rs. 5 crore).
The Golconda Blue finds pride of place in a ring designed by yet another iconic jewellery artist, JAR.
A masterpiece with its recently discovered royal provenance, mesmerising colour, and sensational size, the Golconda Blue ranks among the rarest and most important diamonds ever discovered.
This pear-shaped Golconda diamond’s provenance is rooted in Indian Royalty. Yeshwant Rao Holkar, the Maharaja of Indore and a member of the Holkar dynasty, was known—alongside his wife—for a lifestyle defined by elegance and cosmopolitan sophistication in the 1920s and ’30s. A Knight of the Order of the Indian Empire, the Maharaja spent much of his time abroad, cultivating a strong affinity for Western art, design, and jewellery.
In 1913, his father acquired the famed Indore Pear diamonds from Chaumet, marking the beginning of a long-standing relationship with the historic Parisian maison.
In 1923, during another visit to Chaumet, he commissioned a diamond bracelet set with his own 23-carat pear-shaped Golconda Blue diamond.
Drawn to the firm’s avant-garde flare, Yeshwant Rao Holkar appointed Mauboussin as his official jeweller in 1933. Thereafter, Mauboussin reimagined much of Maharaja’s collection and created the exceptional necklace, including the Golconda Blue and the Indore Pears, worn by the Maharani of Indore memorialised in a portrait by Bernard Boutet de Monvel.
Yeshwant Rao Holkar also collaborated with other iconic jewellers, including Harry Winston. In 1946, Mr. Winston purchased the Indore Pears from the Maharaja, and in January 1947, he acquired this 23-carat blue diamond. Winston later set it in a brooch alongside a matching 23-carat white diamond, which he sold to the Maharaja of Baroda. The brooch was subsequently reacquired by Mr. Winston and resold as a newly designed jewel to its current owner.
Now, over a century later, this legendary blue diamond comes to auction for the very first time, set as a striking contemporary ring by the celebrated Parisian designer JAR.
Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewelry says: “Exceptional noble gems of this calibre come to market once in a lifetime. Over the course of its 259-year history, Christie’s has had the honour of offering some of the world’s most important Golconda diamonds, including the Archduke Joseph, the Princie, and the Wittelsbach. With its Royal heritage, extraordinary colour, and exceptional size, The Golconda Blue is truly one of the rarest blue diamonds in the world.”
The legacy of Golconda diamonds begins with a reference found in a 4th-century Sanskrit manuscript. In 327 BC, Alexander the Great brought diamonds from India to Europe, sparking the West’s enduring fascination with these rare gems. By 1292 AD, Marco Polo chronicled the captivating beauty of Indian diamonds in his travel writings. Today, The Golconda Blue stands not only as a natural marvel but also as a celebrated jewel—its provenance bridging continents, dynasties, and centuries.