A huge diamond has sold for almost €17 million in Switzerland.

Known as the Archduke Joseph, it was auctioned off by Christie’s in Geneva last night.

The 76.02-carat gem described as internally flawless came from the ancient Golconda mines in India.

It’s set a record price per carat for a colourless diamond.

History

It once belonged to the former rulers of the Austrian empire, the Halsburgs.

The diamond came from the same mine that produced the Koh-i-Noor, which is a diamond on Britain’s queen crown.

An anonymous bidder purchased the diamond from American jeweler Black, Starr & Frost.

The name of the diamond derives from Archduke Joesph who was once the Hungarian head of state.

The Archduke Joesph was sold to an anonymous buyer in 1936 where it remained hidden from the Nazis during World War II before reappearing at a sale in London in 1961.

The diamond was sold in 1936 to a still-anonymous buyer, hidden safely in France where it escaped the attentions of the Nazis during the second world war.

Before now it had been sold for a cool $6.5 million in 1993.