De Beers calls it the Talisman Wonder—a priceless objet that, in a
pinch, could double as a plate. But that’s no way
to treat a
masterpiece laden with 691 diamonds. Comprising both rough and polished
stones—for a total of
270 carats—the Wonder was a year in the making,
although it took De Beers nearly a decade to discover enough rough
diamonds (110 of them) for the eight-inch creation. Andrew Coxon, the
company’s resident rock hunter,
located the 17.1-carat cognac-colored
center stone in the nick of time. “We made more than 20 trips for this
sole purpose,”
he notes, “and it was at the very last week before the
deadline that we found it, in Namibia.” As for its price,
CEO François
Delage says the Wonder is not meant to be sold—but, nevertheless, he
will entertain offers.
November 2010