Blue diamond sells for record US$50.6m

Geneva

A DAZZLING blue diamond once owned by mining magnate Philip Oppenheimer fetched a record US$50.6 million at auction in Geneva on Wednesday, auction house Christie's said.

The 14.62 carat Oppenheimer Blue is the largest stone in the exceptionally rare Fancy Vivid Blue category ever to go under the hammer, according to Christie's.

The anonymous buyer will have to part with a total of US$57.54 million, all fees and commissions included, a Christie's spokesman said.

Before the auction, experts had said that it had a chance of beating the record of US$48.4 million set by Sotheby's in November with Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau's purchase of the 12.03…