The flawless Archduke Joseph diamond, from India's famous Golconda mines, has broken several world records at auction in Geneva, selling for US$21.47 million ($26.2 million).
The price which the 76 carat jewel fetched at the Christie's sale on Tuesday is a record for the auction of a clear, colourless diamond.
It is also the highest auction price per carat for such a gem and the record for a Golconda diamond, the same mines which produced the Koh-i-Noor which adorns the British Queen's crown.
"It's a cushion-shaped diamond, weighing 76.02 carats, of D colour" the purest, most colourless variety of diamond, a rarity and a speciality of the ancient Golconda mines in the Indian state of Andhra Paradesh, said Christie's jewellery expert Jean-Marc Lunel.
The Archduke Joseph, which was bought by an anonymous bidder, once belonged to the Habsburgs, former rulers of the Austrian empire.
