Elmwood’s to auction UK’s largest white diamond in years

Elmwood’s Auctions is preparing to auction the largest white diamond in the UK next week, with the 26.36-carat round-cut solitaire projected to sell for between £800,000 and £1m.

The stone is the biggest white diamond to go under the hammer in the country for almost a decade, set in a simple platinum ring of size L1/2 / 6.

The auction house said the jewel embodies the “pinnacle of technical craftsmanship”, with graded VVS1 clarity and the “best cut, polish and symmetry achievable”.

The last time a similar-sized diamond of 26.5 carats was sold was in 2017, facilitated by Sotheby’s.

Combined with its rarity, the auction house said, the stone’s technical quality means collectors and enthusiasts are looking at a “once-in-a-decade opportunity”.

The auction house added that white diamonds are considered “the ultimate symbol of elegance, rarity and enduring value”, long gripping the attention of collectors, connoisseurs and royalty.

Established in 2017 in London’s Notting Hill, Elmwood’s hosts both live and online auctions for luxury jewellery.

Head of sale at Elmwood’s auctioneers, Joe Kendrick, said: “This is an extraordinarily rare diamond. Its combination of size, VVS1 clarity and triple excellent cut is something you simply do not see in the UK market. Stones of this calibre come along perhaps once in a decade and this solitaire is a spectacular example of what makes white diamonds so prized by collectors worldwide.”