Giant diamond in necklace sells for $33.7M at Geneva auction

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GENEVA (AP) — The largest-ever D-flawless diamond to be put up for auction, mounted in a diamond and emerald necklace, has sold for $33.7 million at Christie's in Geneva, including buyer's fees.

The white, matchbox-size "Creation 1" diamond from Swiss jeweler de Grisogono weighs a whopping 163 carats.

The hammer went down at 29.5 million Swiss francs ($29.7 million), excluding the buyer's premium — around the midpoint of the pre-sale estimate range.

The buyer was not immediately identified.

Also on the block Tuesday was Le Mazarin. The 19-carat pink diamond that once belonged to King Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte and other French rulers sold for a hammer price of 12.5 million Swiss francs, obliterating the pre-sale estimate.

That diamond was up for auction for the first time in 130 years.