$20 mn blue diamond goes on show in Abu Dhabi / Photo: Giuseppe CACACE - AFP
-
Japan's only two pandas to be sent back to China
-
Zelensky, US envoys to push on with Ukraine talks in Berlin
-
Australia to toughen gun laws after deadly Bondi shootings
-
Lyon poised to bounce back after surprise Brisbane omission
-
Australia defends record on antisemitism after Bondi Beach attack
-
US police probe deaths of director Rob Reiner, wife as 'apparent homicide'
-
'Terrified' Sydney man misidentified as Bondi shooter
-
Cambodia says Thai air strikes hit home province of heritage temples
-
EU-Mercosur trade deal faces bumpy ride to finish line
-
Inside the mind of Tolkien illustrator John Howe
-
Mbeumo faces double Cameroon challenge at AFCON
-
Tongue replaces Atkinson in only England change for third Ashes Test
-
England's Brook vows to rein it in after 'shocking' Ashes shots
-
Bondi Beach gunmen had possible Islamic State links, says ABC
-
Lakers fend off Suns fightback, Hawks edge Sixers
-
Louvre trade unions to launch rolling strike
-
Asian markets drop with Wall St as tech fears revive
-
North Korean leader's sister sports Chinese foldable phone
-
Iran's women bikers take the road despite legal, social obstacles
-
Civilians venture home after militia seizes DR Congo town
-
Countdown to disclosure: Epstein deadline tests US transparency
-
Desperate England looking for Ashes miracle in Adelaide
-
Far-right Kast wins Chile election in landslide
-
What we know about Australia's Bondi Beach attack
-
Witnesses tell of courage, panic in wake of Bondi Beach shootings
-
Chilean hard right victory stirs memories of dictatorship
-
Volunteers patrol Thai villages as artillery rains at Cambodia border
-
Far-right candidate Kast wins Chile presidential election
-
Father and son gunmen kill 15 at Jewish festival on Australia's Bondi Beach
-
Rodrygo scrapes Real Madrid win at Alaves
-
Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media 'troublemaker' in Beijing's crosshairs
-
Hong Kong court to deliver verdicts on media mogul Jimmy Lai
-
Bills rein in Patriots as Chiefs eliminated
-
Chiefs eliminated from NFL playoff hunt after dominant decade
-
Far right eyes comeback as Chile presidential polls close
-
Freed Belarus dissident Bialiatski vows to keep resisting regime from exile
-
Americans Novak and Coughlin win PGA-LPGA pairs event
-
Zelensky, US envoys to push on with Ukraine talks in Berlin on Monday
-
Toulon edge out Bath as Saints, Bears and Quins run riot
-
Inter Milan go top in Italy as champions Napoli stumble
-
ECOWAS threatens 'targeted sanctions' over Guinea Bissau coup
-
World leaders express horror at Bondi beach shooting
-
Joyous Sunderland celebrate Newcastle scalp
-
Guardiola hails Man City's 'big statement' in win at Palace
-
Lens reclaim top spot in Ligue 1 with Nice win
-
No 'quick fix' at Spurs, says angry Frank
-
Toulon edge to victory over Bath, Saints and Quins run riot
-
Freed Belarus protest leader Kolesnikova doesn't 'regret anything'
-
Man City smash Palace to fire title warning, Villa extend streak
-
Arshdeep helps India beat South Africa to take T20 series lead
NYSE - LSE
$20 mn blue diamond goes on show in Abu Dhabi
A rare blue diamond valued at $20 million went on pre-auction display on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, capital of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.
The 10-carat Mediterranean Blue, which will go on sale in Geneva next month, is the showpiece of a collection estimated at $100 million, organisers said.
"Included in the group are the largest flawless diamond in the world... the second largest red diamond known to exist and several diamonds over 100 carats," Sotheby's auction house said in a statement.
The chiseled stones were on display next to lavish jewellery, including a white-diamond encrusted necklace featuring a 100.26-carat pear-shaped brown diamond pendant.
The blue diamond will be showcased in Taipei, Hong Kong and New York before its exhibition and sale in Geneva in mid-May.
"At the top of the rarity pyramid are blue diamonds," said Quig Bruning, head of jewels for Sotheby's in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
"The Gulf is, in my mind, the core of where the luxury market is headed," he added.
The resource-rich, largely tax-free Gulf, including the UAE's trade and tourism hub Dubai, has long been a magnet for high-net-worth individuals and the ultra-wealthy.
P.Sousa--PC
