Everyone's eyes instantly turned toward the source of the voice.
The voice was familiar. Its owner had also been the first to bid on the Painting of Emperors Through the Ages.
Everyone was astonished, and even Soro onstage found it a little strange.
Everyone had expected the Azure Heart to fetch a high price at this auction, but no one had any idea just how high it would go.
The key to an item's worth lay in its practical value.
For Pandora, buying this enormous diamond would not only boost the company's reputation, but also allow it to cut the stone into several pieces and sell them separately.
Pandora had presumably done the calculations. Even if it cut the diamond up, the prestige of the world's largest diamond would allow those pieces to sell for more than ordinary small diamonds.
Moreover, this diamond's cut and clarity were among the finest in the world.
Although a diamond's value per carat generally increased with its weight, there were exceptions. Once it reached a certain size, its unit price would remain within a particular range or even fall. After all, no one would pay an astronomical sum for a single diamond.
For jewelers, cutting up a diamond like this and selling the pieces really was the best option.
But once the bidding exceeded five billion U.S. dollars, Candice decisively withdrew. It was not merely that her company could not afford the expense; more importantly, there was no profit to be made.
If even Pandora was in that position, the other companies stood even less of a chance.
As for the Ross Family heir, everyone was puzzled. Was this legendary family really planning to buy the diamond as an heirloom?
For certain ancient families, money might truly be nothing more than a number, while