New York: A "perfect" 100-carat diamond originally mined in South Africa sold for $22.1 million in New York on Tuesday in three minutes of bidding, Sotheby`s said.
The auction house had valued the jewel, which weighs 100.20 carats, at $19-25 million, calling it "the largest perfect diamond with a classic Emerald cut ever to be offered at auction."
Discovered in the De Beers mines of South Africa then cut, polished and perfected for more than a year, it was the highlight in 370 lots at a Sotheby`s jewelry auction.
The winning bidder took part by telephone but wanted to remain anonymous, Sotheby`s said.
The auction house had showcased the jewel twice in the Middle East -- in Doha and Dubai -- as well as Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London and New York in a bid to attract interest ahead of the sale.
Sotheby`s says only five comparable quality diamonds weighing more than 100 carats have been sold at auction, the most expensive of which fetched $30.6 million at Sotheby`s in Hong Kong in 2013.
Gary Schuler, head of Sotheby`s jewelry department in New York, called the stone "the definition of perfection."
"The color is whiter than white, it is free of any internal imperfections, and so transparent that I can only compare it to a pool of icy water," he said before the sale.