Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan's 37-carat emerald sold for nearly $9m

• Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan's emerald sold for nearly $9 million.
• He commissioned Cartier to create the brooch for his wife.
• His wife later auctioned the emerald in 1969.

A rare 37-carat square-cut emerald, once owned by Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, was sold for nearly $9 million at an auction in Geneva, setting a new record for the world’s most expensive green stone, according to AFP.

The emerald, part of a Cartier diamond and emerald brooch, was sold by Christie's and can also be worn as a pendant. This sale dethroned the previous record-holder, a Bulgari piece given by Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor, as the most valuable emerald.

In 1960, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan commissioned Cartier to create the brooch, set with 20 marquise-cut diamonds, for his then-wife, British socialite Nina Dyer. Dyer later auctioned the emerald in 1969 to raise funds for animals, marking the emerald’s first appearance at a Christie's sale in Switzerland.

After being bought by jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels, the emerald passed to Harry Winston, known as the "King of Diamonds."

"Emeralds are hot right now, and this one ticks all the boxes," said Max Fawcett, Christie's EMEA Head of Jewellery.

Previously, Elizabeth Taylor’s Bulgari emerald and diamond pendant brooch sold for $6.5 million during a record-setting auction at Christie's New York in 2011, which brought in over $156.75 million.

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