Actually Real: A 26-Carat Diamond

Sotheby's, founded in 1744, has served to connect collectors with global art. Since expanding to New York in 1955 and becoming the world's first international auction house, it has held auctions in various countries from its base in London.

A diamond ring was presented at the Sotheby's London auction held on June 7, 2017. The ring was purchased in the 1980s in London for £10 (approximately ¥1,450 at current exchange rates) as a piece of junk by a woman at a flea market. It was later revealed through appraisal that this ring was a genuine diamond, and it was sold at auction for approximately £660,000, or about ¥93.6 million.

The woman, suspecting the ring might be valuable due to its unusual size, had always assumed the stone was a fake. She reportedly wore it daily for about 30 years. She brought it to Sotheby's, thinking it might be real but unsure of its value.

Sotheby's then commissioned an appraisal from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which confirmed it to be a 26-carat diamond.

The ring is believed to have been cut in the 19th century and features a cushion cut, a shape that blends round and square elements. The cuts of that era prioritized retaining the original weight of the rough stone, resulting in a relatively subdued sparkle.

Jessica Wyndham, head of Sotheby's jewelry department in London, commented, "The old-fashioned cuts used for antique cushions don't reflect light as intensely as modern cuts. The craftsmen of the time focused on preserving the natural shape of the crystal to maintain its size, rather than maximizing its brilliance. The subdued sparkle likely led people to believe it wasn't a real stone. It's a remarkable find."