Magnificent Fancy Vivid Green diamond ring

Claw-set with a cushion modified brilliant-cut fancy vivid green diamond weighing 2.52 carats, to a plain platinum and yellow gold mount, size 51.

Stamped Pt 950 for platinum and 750 for gold. For further information please refer to the GIA certificates. In very good condition. According to our records, the largest Fancy Vivid Green diamond sold to date was the 0.90 carat circular-cut stone sold by Sotheby's in New York on the 20th October 1999 for 662,500 U$ which represents a price of 736,111 US$ per carat.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's. We do not guarantee, and are not responsible for any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the property. We do not guarantee that watches are in working order. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue, in particular to the Notice regarding the treatment and condition of gemstones and to the Notice regarding import of Burmese jadeite and rubies into the US.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

GREEN DIAMONDS : A WONDER OF THE WORLD

In the elite world of fancy coloured diamonds, green and red are by far the rarest body colours. The appearance of green in a diamond is caused by millions of years of exposure to a source of natural irradiation in the earth, either among uranium compounds or percolating groundwater, which changes its specific absorption of light. The majority of naturally irradiated diamonds show isolated green stains or spots that barely penetrate the surface of the crystal and are almost always removed during the cutting process. On the other hand, a very small minority of them were consistently exposed to the irradiation source over time and therefore exhibit an even green hue throughout the entire crystal. Among this extremely select group of stones, only a very few have a true green colour without any bluish, greyish or yellowish secondary colour, as is the case with the present diamond.

True green diamonds are therefore unique gemmological rarities, and represent an extraordinarily group of beautiful and mysterious gems.
 
The most famous of all green diamonds worldwide is the legendary 'Green Dresden' stone, which is an antique-cut pear-shaped bluish apple-green diamond of 41.10 carats. It was bought by Frederick Augustus II (1733-1763), Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, from the Dutch merchant Delles at the Leipzig Fair in 1741 and set by the Court jeweller Dinglinger in a Golden Fleece Order. It was said at the time that the stone was the first of its kind to appear on the European market.

Only a handful of natural green diamonds have been auctioned in the past thirty years, and most of them exhibited either a bluish or yellowish secondary colour. As far as our records indicate, this is the largest Fancy Vivid Green diamond ever to have appeared at auction.

The very appearance of the present diamond is an extraordinary event in itself, and it presents a rare opportunity to acquire a unique gem which has never before been set in a jewel.