The world’s most expensive diamond per carat has sold for about $27 million US dollars to an unnamed buyer, Sotheby’s Diamonds announced on Friday.

The 102.34-carat jewel is larger in diameter than a quarter and is considered the rarest white diamond ever to be sold. It is the world’s only known D-color round brilliant-cut diamond over 100 carats that is technically flawless, according to the Sotheby’s, which put the diamond up for sale in February.

Of the millions of diamonds the Gemological Institute of America examines each year, only a handful, if any, weigh more than 100 carats, said Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief research and laboratory officer.

“These are accidental freaks of nature really,” Mr. Moses said. Miners are less likely to unearth many more diamonds of this size since no new diamond mines are in the pipeline, he said.

“All indications are that we’ll see fewer of these diamonds,” Mr. Moses said.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/102-car...1523050793

Holy crap what a rock!

Americans exchange diamond rings as part of the engagement process, because in 1938 De Beers decided that they would like us to. Prior to a stunningly successful marketing campaign 1938, Americans occasionally exchanged engagement rings, but wasn’t a pervasive occurrence. Not only is the demand for diamonds a marketing invention, but diamonds aren’t actually that rare. Only by carefully restricting the supply has De Beers kept the price of a diamond high.
Gold and silver are commodities that can be purchased on financial markets. They can appreciate and hold value in times of inflation. You can even hoard gold under your bed and buy gold coins and bullion (albeit at a ~10 percent premium to market rates). If you want to hoard gold jewelry however, there is typically a retail markup so that’s probably not a wise investment.

But with that caveat in mind, the market for gold is fairly liquid and gold is fungible — you can trade one large piece of gold for 10 smalls ones like you can a 10 dollar bill for 10 one dollar bills. These characteristics make it a feasible potential investment.

Diamonds, however, are not an investment. The market for them is neither liquid nor are they fungible.

(04-08-2018, 10:10 AM)Not Annette Wrote:  Americans exchange diamond rings as part of the engagement process, because in 1938 De Beers decided that they would like us to. Prior to a stunningly successful marketing campaign 1938, Americans occasionally exchanged engagement rings, but wasn’t a pervasive occurrence. Not only is the demand for diamonds a marketing invention, but diamonds aren’t actually that rare. Only by carefully restricting the supply has De Beers kept the price of a diamond high.
Gold and silver are commodities that can be purchased on financial markets. They can appreciate and hold value in times of inflation. You can even hoard gold under your bed and buy gold coins and bullion (albeit at a ~10 percent premium to market rates). If you want to hoard gold jewelry however, there is typically a retail markup so that’s probably not a wise investment.

But with that caveat in mind, the market for gold is fairly liquid and gold is fungible — you can trade one large piece of gold for 10 smalls ones like you can a 10 dollar bill for 10 one dollar bills. These characteristics make it a feasible potential investment.

Diamonds, however, are not an investment. The market for them is neither liquid nor are they fungible.

Common knowledge, but the big stones like this (that nobody should own and belong in a museum) are worth a few shekels.

Big shekels!

That's some serious bling

Where are you going to wear something like that?

(04-08-2018, 10:22 PM)Anonymous Kritter Wrote:  Where are you going to wear something like that?