Canadian “flawless” diamond sets online record of US$15.7M at auction

A rare, flawless 102-carat white diamond found at the now closed Victor mine in Canada, has sold for US$15.7 million (HK$122 million), a record price in an online auction. The small egg-size diamond was cut from a larger 271-carat rough, found in 2018, and then cut and polished for more than a year. The bidding on the stone began in an online auction in September, culminating with an in-person auction at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on Oct. 5. The buyer, an unnamed Japanese man, bought the stone for his second daughter and has already renamed it after her — The Maiko Star. He had previously bought an 88.22-carat diamond for his other daughter, Manami, last year, the auction house said.