Photos: Rare ‘Oppenheimer Blue’ Diamond Sells for Record Price—$57.6 Million

The rare “Oppenheimer Blue” diamond was sold on May 19 by Christie’s Geneva at a record price--$57.6 million.

the 'Oppenheimer Blue,' a rare fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 14.62 carat during a press preview by Christies's auction house on May 12, 2016 in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

The rare “Oppenheimer Blue” diamond was sold on May 19 by Christie’s Geneva at a record price—$57.6 million.

The stone is the most expensive diamond ever to be sold at auction. A previous diamond, the Blue Moon, had a record sale of $48.5 million.

The “Oppenheimer Blue,” a rectangular-cut diamond, had a pre-sale estimate range of 38 million to 45 million francs.

The 14.62-carat, labeled as the largest Vivid Blue diamond up for auction, was bought by an unidentified buyer.

A spokeswoman from Christie’s said the bidding for the “Oppenheimer Blue” started at 30 million francs and lasted over 25 minutes.

The mesmerizing blue stone was set in a ring with a smaller trapezoid-shaped diamond on each side.

The gem is named after Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who oversaw De Beers mining and had given the diamond to his wife. He died in 1995 at the age of 83.

A woman holds up the 'Oppenheimer Blue,' a rare fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 14.62 carat during a preview by Christies's auction house on May 12, 2016, in Geneva.
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images