A giant white diamond nicknamed “The Rock” weighing 228,31 carat (45.7 grams) was displayed to a public audience for the first time in Dubai on Friday.
The diamond found in South Africa more than 20 years ago is currently the world’s largest known white diamond.
After being shown in Dubai, it will travel to Taipei in Taiwan, New York before finally arriving in Geneva, Switzerland, where it will be auctioned for sale on 11 May according to Belga News Agency.
"The Middle East has always valued jewellry and precious gemstones," Rahul Kadakia, head of jewellry at Christie's, told AFP.
“We thought it would be good to unveil the diamond in a region where there are a lot of great gemstone collectors,” he added.
The sales record for a white diamond is $33,7 million. Sold in November 2017, it weighs 163,41 carat.
In February, Sotheby’s auction house in London sold a black diamond weighing 555,55 carat (111 grams) – the largest natural black diamond in the world – for $4.3.
