The Story of The “Mellon Blue”

Under the gavel at the “Magnificent Jewels” auction on November 11 at Christie’s in Geneva, the fate of a legendary stone was sealed. Record sums, American high society, and gardening: the romantic story of the Mellon Blue diamond unfolds.

On November 11, €22,196,987 brought pride to a new owner for one of the most prestigious blue diamonds. The stone, weighing just over 9 carats and set in a platinum ring adorned with white diamonds, fetched a record price at a Christie’s auction . Closely watched in Geneva, the auction featured it alongside other major pieces, such as a diamond brooch that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte. Despite the high-caliber competition, this pear-shaped stone, with its dazzling Fancy Vivid hue, was not enough to overshadow the famous gem. “One of the most beautiful colored stones ever to appear on the market ,” according to Max Fawcett, head of the Jewelry department at Christie’s Geneva branch.

Of rare purity and color, the Mellon Blue has garnered all the superlatives. It must be said that, while its sale price (admittedly staggering) didn’t reach the expected heights this time, this hasn’t always been the case. The last time it was offered for sale, in 2014 in New York, the stone earned the title of the world’s most expensive blue diamond , thanks to a price exceeding 28 million euros. This feat was accompanied by another: the record for the highest price per carat ever achieved for a diamond . Thus, the diamond continued its journey after the death of its owner, an equally legendary figure who gave it her name, Mellon.

An exceptional diamond with a glamorous pedigree

Until death did them part, the diamond belonged to Rachel Lambert Mellon, known as “Bunny.” Having passed away in 2014 at the venerable age of 103, this figure of New York high society possessed all the qualities of a Truman Capote Swan, except for the official title. Above all, she owned an immense collection of art and jewelry. A renowned horticulturist, responsible for the Kennedy rose garden at the White House, Bunny cultivated her taste for jewelry among the elite. A top client of Fulco di Verdura, the Italian aristocrat who designed jewelry for Gabrielle Chanel before Goossens, she was also close to Jean Schlumberger, from whom she acquired more than a hundred pieces, including the famous Bird on the Rock .

Discreet and more drawn to gardens than social events, Bunny Mellon rarely displayed her jewel. It was only at the historic sale of the late socialite’s estate—which also included two Rothko paintings —that the diamond was set, at the behest of its new owner. He also had it recut to enhance its clarity, reducing its weight by 0.20 carats in the process. Thus endowed with a new majesty, the jewel is writing a new chapter in its legend in Geneva, and not without brilliance.