GENEVA, 17 May (BelTA - TASS) - A pair of mismatched earrings - one with a blue diamond and the other with a pink one - went under hammer in Geneva at a record-breaking price of more than $57 million, the Sotheby's auction house said.
David Bennett, worldwide chairman of Sotheby's International Jewellery Division, described the earrings as "by far the most important pair of earrings ever offered at auction."
"The divine diamond twins - one pink and the other blue - are perfectly matched in size, cut and tonality," Sotheby's said in its description of the lots. "The stones are currently mounted as a spectacular pair of earrings, but are being offered separately, on account of their extreme rarity, power and presence."
The diamonds - a blue diamond named Apollo and a pink diamond named Artemis - were bought by the same phone bidder from Asia and will remain a pair.
The 14.54-carat Fancy Vivid blue diamond, Apollo, was sold for more than $42 million, while Artemis, a 16-carat Fancy Intense pink diamond, went under hammer for over 15 million.
"These exquisite coloured diamonds are enormously rare and each is a wonderful stone in its own right. Together, as a pair of earrings, they are breathtaking. We have named them after Apollo and Artemis, a twin brother and sister of great power and beauty who were among the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities," Bennett said.
