The 101-Carat Juno Diamond Fetches $12.9 Million, Renamed ‘Claire G’

A 101.41-carat D Color Internally Flawless pear-shaped diamond sold for more than $12.9 million at Sotheby’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale . The auction house says the result places the gem among the highest prices ever achieved for a D-color, Flawless or Internally Flawless diamond over 100 carats at auction.

Previously called the Juno diamond, the gem was purchased over the phone by a private collector in Asia, who, shortly after the sale, renamed it the “Claire G Diamond,” in dedication to his wife.

The Claire G was the top lot of the sale that achieved $52 million. Together with this week’s sale of Fine Jewels, Sotheby’s worldwide jewelry auctions have surpassed $230 million to date – an increase of 14% over the same period in 2021.

Catharine Becket, head of Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in New York, said she was pleased that buyers were aggressively bidding on a variety of colored gems as well as period and contemporary jewels.

“It’s been thrilling to witness the increase in our clients’ appetite for stones beyond the standard canon of diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, and to see the evolution in their appreciation for specimen stones, such as the Paraiba tourmaline and diamond pendant necklace, which sold for an incredible $1.2 million. We also saw exceptional results for signed jewels by the iconic maisons, including a mystery-set ruby “Holly Leaf” brooch by Van Cleef & Arpels that sold for nearly $1 million.”