Burmese ruby sells for record US$30m at auction

Geneva

A 25.59 carat "pigeon blood" ruby sold for a world record US$30.33 million at auction in Geneva on Tuesday while a rare pink diamond believed to have once belonged to Napoleon's niece fetched US$15.9 million, Sotheby's said.

After competitive bidding, the ruby went to an anonymous telephone bidder for 26.25 million Swiss francs (S$37.7 million), with costs.