“The Rock”, the biggest white diamond ever auctioned, sold for 21.7 million Swiss francs (US$21.9 million) on Wednesday, far short of the record for such a jewel.

The 228.31-carat stone, larger than a golf ball, was sold in Geneva by Christie's auction house.

There had been high hopes that The Rock would smash the world record for a white diamond, $33.7 million, a sum fetched in Geneva in 2017 for a 163.41-carat gem.

But the bidding, which started at 14 million Swiss francs ($14 million), ground to a halt after 2 minutes at 18.6 million francs, with the price rising to 21.7 million francs once the buyer's premium was added.

The presale estimate was 19 to 30 million Swiss francs.

The Rock, a perfectly symmetrical, pear-shaped diamond, was sold by an unnamed owner from North America. It was bought by a private collector bidding by telephone.

Rahul Kadakia, Christie's international head of jewelry, brought down the hammer to applause in the sale room in the plush Hotel des Bergues.

Diamonds are graded in color from D to Z, and Kadakia told AFP that despite falling short of the overall record, The Rock had set a new world record price per carat for a G-color diamond.

"When you look at the price per carat, 100,000 per carat, this is the level of a D-color diamond, and we achieved that for a G-color diamond. So in fact, we're very pleased, as are the sellers, as is the buyer."

Max Fawcett, head of Christie's jewels department in Geneva, said there were only a handful of diamonds of similar size and quality to The Rock.

The large diamond was extracted from a mine in South Africa in the early 2000s and was shown in Dubai, Taipei and New York ahead of the sale in Geneva.

Red Cross gem

The Rock was up for grabs alongside a historic, intense yellow diamond associated for more than a century with the Red Cross.

A seven-figure chunk of the proceeds will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross, headquartered in Geneva, at a time when war is once again stalking the European continent.

The Red Cross Diamond, a cushion-shaped, 205.07-carat canary yellow jewel, sold for 14.2 million Swiss francs ($14.3 million), including the buyer's premium, well above its price estimate of 7 to 10 million francs.

Multiple bidders fought fiercely over the gem for 10 minutes, ending in a duel in increments of 50,000 francs before one private collector won through.

The original rough stone was found in 1901 at a De Beers mine in South Africa and is said to have weighed around 375 carats.

As well as ranking among the largest diamonds in the world, a striking feature is its pavilion, which naturally bears the shape of a Maltese cross.

The stone was first put up for sale on April 10, 1918 at Christie's in London, offered by the Diamond Syndicate in aid of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St John.

The Red Cross Diamond fetched 10,000 British pounds ($12,000), approximately 600,000 pounds ($740,000) in today's money, bought by London jeweler S.J. Phillips.

It was sold again in 1973 by Christie's in Geneva, fetching 1.8 million Swiss francs ($1.81 million), before the auction house offered it for a third time.

"A 104-year history of the diamond with Christie's. We're very pleased that we were able to locate it, and we're very pleased that we were able to secure it in another private collection," said Kadakia.

Also sold was a tiara that belonged to Princess Irma of Fuerstenberg (1867-1948), a member of one of the most preeminent aristocratic families in the Habsburg Empire.

It was estimated at 400,000 to 600,000 Swiss francs ($402,000-$603,000), but sold for much more at 2.4 million francs, having caught the bidder’s eye in a prominent spot at the presale exhibition.

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