De Grisogono acquires The Constellation

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Sep 11, 2016

Swiss luxury jeweler de Grisogono announced on Friday the acquisition of The Constellation - the world's most expensive rough diamond. The announcement was made at a press conference held in the Grand Palais on Friday, to mark the opening of the 28th Biennale des Antiquaires.
 

"By purchasing The Constellation, de Grisogono has shown its commitment to bringing the most unique stones from around the world to our clients in exceptional and exclusive pieces,” says John Leitao, Chief Executive Officer of de Grisogono, in a news statement. “We firmly believe that, despite a challenging market environment, people will continue to cherish and value those objects which are truly unique and special, such as this extraordinary piece of history,”
 
Acquired from Nemesis International, the Constellation measures over six centimetres wide and weighs 813-carats. It was discovered by Canadian company, Lucara Diamond, at its Karowe mine in Botswana in November 2015, and was purchased for USD63 million earlier this year, following a competitive bidding process.

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"I am thrilled to have the chance to work with such an incredible and important diamond as The Constellation,” adds founder and Executive Board member of de Grisogono, Fawaz Gruosi, in a news statement. “As a jeweller I am conscious of the extraordinary responsibility I have to the stone and to the team who have worked so hard to secure it. To be able to bring my creative skills to the cutting and setting process of such a stone is both an honour and a privilege and I cannot wait to realise my vision for it.”
 
In May, de Grisogono equally purchased a 404-carat rough diamond from Nemesis International.
 
De Grisogono was founded in 1993.