Sheik Shells Outs Cool $3.1 Million for Huge Diamond
A Saudi sheik paid $3.1 million for a huge 50.8-carat diamond that he has named “Red Sea Star,” Sotheby’s auction house said Friday.
Sheik Ahmed Fitaihi bought the stone, the fourth largest flawless emerald-cut diamond ever auctioned, during the fall week of jewelery sales in Geneva, a spokeswoman said.
The gem will be part of the sheik’s collection, which already includes a $7.1-million, 80-carat diamond dubbed “Jeddah Bride” which he purchased in New York in October 1991.
“He often buys important pieces,” the spokeswoman added.
The highlight of the week was the sale of $13.7 million in silver and jewels belonging to German Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis.
The 32-year-old widow, know as the “Punk Princess” parted with 300 treasures from the Bavarian noble family’s collections at a controversial auction by Sotheby’s Tuesday.
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