Circa 1995: A diamond is in the offering. It is a D color. It is
internally flawless. It is going to be going up for auction. It is in
fact … the largest D color … Internally Flawless Pear Shaped
diamond with unmodified classical proportions ever to be offered up
for auction. It’s weight: 100.10 carats. Where … I wonder … does
one place such a bauble once one has purchased it. Around one’s
neck? On one’s finger? One’s belly button perhaps? Elsewhere? The
imagination boggles.
This is no ordinary diamond folks. Aside from it’s color, shape, and
clarity … it is also a most perfectly proportioned stone … a
tribute in fact to a diamond cutter’s skill.
The rarity of the stone can be exemplified by the fact that it is
only exceeded in size by one other: The Mouawad Splendour-- a stone
about which I know nothing … other than the fact that it 101.84
carats and that it is an eleven-sided pear shape which was sold in
1990 for a smidgeon over 12 million dollars. A smidgeon … in
instances like these when we speak of numbers which have no meaning
for most other than the fact that they are represented by more zeroes
than most can even count … is $760,000.
So … how rare is this little bauble? Well … here it is folks. So
few are these stones … that in the stratospheric atmosphere of
those who have made a tad more than a piddling wage over their lives
… the ultimate buyer of this piece of crystallized carbon will have
the honor and privilege of naming the stone. If your name happens to
be Cyrus-the-Great … and you bestow your name upon the stone
after purchase … then the stone will surely have a moniker worthy
of its stature. But what if your name is Klem Kaddidlhopper? (Anyone
out there remember Red Skelton?) Do you then name the stone after
yourself? Hey … look … she’s wearing the Kaddidlehopper around
her neck. Doesn’t quite have that ring … does it?
So … the stone was ultimately sold. I do not know to whom. But I
do have a tentative price. Ready. A smidgeon over 18 million
dollars. Eighteen million? Who has that kind of money that they can
buy an 18 million dollar doo-dad with discretionary funds? Whoever
you are out there … maybe we’re related. Check it out. You never
know. Name here is Benjamin. Benjamin Mark. I could use a mil or
two.
For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits…may I
direct you to my home page at www.tyler-adam.com where you will
scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says
Tidbits Graphics … and then click on the link that says: Pear …
where you’ll see an image of the Kaddidlehopper … or whatever it is
the buyer ultimately named his stone.
And there ya have it.
That’s it for this week folks.
Catch you all next week.
Benjamin Mark