Lot 579. A 1.21 carat VS1 Fancy Intense Blue Diamond and Diamond Ring, De Beers. Estimate HK$3,500,000 - 4,500,000 ($450,000-575,000). Image courtesy of Phillips.

One cut-cornered modified brilliant-cut Fancy Intense Blue diamond, 1.21 carats. Baguette and tapered baguette diamonds in the surround and shoulders. Platinum. Signed De Beers and numbered C63603. Size 4¼.

(1.21-carat Diamond): GIA report, numbered 2205222098, dated 22 July 2019, Fancy Intense Blue colour, VS1 clarity.

Note: It is a widely-accepted fact that the alluring blue colour in diamonds come from boron, placing them in the rare category of Type IIb diamonds. However, scientists recently succeeded in explaining this geological enigma in detail. A new study by GIA revealed that type IIb diamonds are among the deepest diamonds ever found, some over 660 km below earth's surface, approximately four times deeper than most other kinds of diamonds, and most importantly, the boron atoms contained in these blue gems may have originally been derived from ancient oceans. This blue diamond is one miraculous natural wonder, which humans may never fully comprehend, but their beauty is universal and absolute.