Largest White Diamond in Auction History Expected to Fetch $30 Million at Christie’s in May 2022

May 2, 2022

Christie's, the legendary English auction house founded by James Christie in 1766, will host an auction this spring for a 228.3-carat white diamond nicknamed "The Rock." The white diamond is the largest to ever go to auction and has an estimated worth of between US$20 and US$30 million. We recently spoke to Rahul Kadakia, International Heald of Jewellery for Christie's, who told us that "[i]t's the largest white diamond to come up for sale anywhere, at any auction, forever."

"Christie's has been around since 1776, two hundred and fifty-six years, and all these two hundred fifty six years, this is definitely the largest white diamond that has ever come up for auction," Kadakia reiterated with excitement when asked to detail the significance of The Rock.

Previously, the largest white diamond auction record was a 163.41-carat diamond, which sold in November 2017 at Christie's for US$33.7 million. Kadakia, a GIA graduate who has been with Christie's since 1994, was also the auctioneer for this stone. While The Rock may not top the November 2017 figure, it remains possible. 

"Nothing is impossible at auction; you want to have two determined bidders the day of the sale, and the sun can make anything and surprise all of us," he said.

The auction is open to the public, so even those who can't afford the estimated sticker price can witness this important moment in auction history by streaming the auction.  "If you go on Christie's.com on May 11th, the auction will be streamed live, so you will see the auctioneer, which is me, and you will watch me in real-time selling the stone," said Kadakia.

The pear-shaped diamond, which is the size of a chicken's egg, was mined approximately 20 years ago in South America. Initially, Christie's was a part of the gem's initial sale to a private collector shortly after its discovery.

The Rock is estimated to sell between $20 million - $30 million.