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The blue diamond ring previously owned by former child-star Shirley Temple has failed to sell at an auction in New York.
The Sotheby’s auction opened bidding for the ring at $19m (£13m) and closed it at $22m (£15m), which was below the ring’s reserve price.
The 9.54-carat ‘fancy deep blue and potentially internally flawless diamond ring was purchased by Temple’s father for $7,210 (£5,000) in 1940 and it had been estimated to sell for up to $35m (£24.2m).
However, Sotheby’s remains confident the ring will sell in the future, in a statement it said: “The Shirley Temple Blue Diamond is an exceptional stone in quality, rarity and provenance. It has been an honour to share its story with collectors, connoisseurs and Temple’s loyal fans over the past few months.
“Unfortunately, tonight wasn’t its night in the salesroom, but we remain fully confident that it will find a buyer.”
The ring – offered for sale by a private buyer who purchased the ring from Temple’s estate – was the highlight of the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale, which fetched nearly $30m (£20.8m) across more than 300 lots.
