‘Bulgari Laguna Blu’ Diamond Makes Met Gala Appearance Ahead of Auction
Priyanka Chopra Jonas wore the 11.16-carat pear-shaped blue diamond to the event.
The Laguna Blu is an 11.16-carat fancy vivid blue diamond the Italian jewelry house selected and set into a ring in 1970 for a “discerning private collector” in Europe.
According to Sotheby’s, the stone has remained in that same private collection since, until Jonas, one of the brand’s celebrity ambassadors, wore it Monday.
For the Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute that is considered the night for fashion, Bulgari reset the stone into a wreath-like diamond collar necklace.

The bay laurel wreaths Greco-Roman emperors wore served as inspiration for the design, which Chopra Jonas paired with a classic strapless black Valentino gown elevated for the occasion by a ruffled cape and white opera-length gloves.
Later this month, the pear-shaped Bulgari Laguna Blu will go up for auction at Sotheby’s “Luxury Week” in Geneva, scheduled for May 12-16.
The auction house estimates it will sell for more than $25 million, making the diamond the most valuable Bulgari gem ever offered for sale.

The blue diamond is part of a larger collection of Bulgari pieces from the same time period (early 1970s) and owned by the same European collector that are going up for auction during Luxury Week.
Other highlights of the collection include a 12.08-carat pear-shaped colorless diamond (estimate $600,000-$700,000) and an 18.78-carat step-cut colorless diamond ($900,000-$1.4 million).
“The Bulgari Laguna Blu is an extraordinary gem in every way,” Sotheby’s Geneva Head of Jewelry Olivier Wagner said. “[It] is bound to become the object of any collector’s dream and we are delighted that it will be first premiered at the always highly anticipated Met Gala’s red carpet.”
The sale of the Bulgari Laguna Blu will cap off what Sotheby’s described as a “trifecta of unique and extraordinary colored gemstones” it is putting up for auction this spring, starting with “The Eternal Pink” diamond and “Estrella de Fura” ruby at its “Magnificent Jewels” auction in New York on June 8.
The Latest

Ryan Perry, who has been with De Beers since 2002, also will be leaving the company next year.

The watch seller’s new index tracks sales data from 14 brands, including Rolex and Patek Philippe.

The industry veteran will step down from both roles in April 2024.

Without the ability to instill confidence within the industry and directly to the consumer, a diamond holds very little value.

Tanzanite, turquoise, and zircon are all options for December babies, who sometimes “get the birthday shaft,” Amanda Gizzi writes.


The lab-grown diamond brand also collaborated with the website The Future Rocks on a collection launching today.

The company said it is facing a “challenging retail environment” but is prepared for the holiday season.

With holiday proposals right around the corner, encourage your customers to go for platinum when making the big purchase.

It’s the hero piece of the newest "Green Jewel" collection, a collaborative offering from the two mines.

Chris Cramer, who also spent time at Gen Z intimates brand Parade, will take on the dual role.

The retail offering lets customers track their diamond’s journey.

The Luele mine is expected to eventually make the country the world’s third-largest diamond producer.

From Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, 200.4 million consumers shopped online and in stores.

The growing company also plans to open more of its own boutiques.

The best quotes from the Oracle of Omaha and his right-hand man Charlie Munger from the 2018 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting.

J. Dostie Jewelers will move from Lewiston to Yarmouth this spring.

It’s the company’s second location in Tennessee.

You can have this jewelry, why don’t you take it?

Next year’s milestone show will be full of educational programming and collaborations.

Sales experts and a diamantaire share their best advice on how to send customers home with diamond jewelry.

The brand has released five new collections.

The Albany Business Review recently honored the 100-year-old company.

To honor his legacy, GIA has set up a scholarship in his name.

There have been eight attacks in the last month, spanning from a jewelry store parking lot in Rhode Island to highways in California.

These 15 pieces of jewelry celebrate November babies and the hues of citrine and topaz that reflect the colors of the season.

The money will help a nonprofit rehabilitate sea turtles.

The jewelry manufacturer said it can now better serve the North American market.