Diamonds, as famously noted by Marilyn Monroe, are a girl's best friend. Even, it now seems, if you are as young as twelve years old. When the world's largest diamond ever to appear at auction was snapped up for ￡8.1million Nov.14, the first thing its new owner did was to name it af-ter his young daughter, Chloe. The dazzling 84-carat jewel - which took two years to cut - was bought by Guess clothing company founder Georges Marciano at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva.

因瑪麗蓮夢露而聲名大噪的鑽石，是女人的摯友。現在看來，也是12歲小女孩的最愛。當世上所曾拍賣最大的鑽石11月14日拍得810萬英鎊（約 5億4000萬台幣）時，鑽石新主人第一件事就是以女兒克洛伊的名字為鑽石命名。這顆璀璨炫目的84克拉鑽石花了兩年才完成切割，是由Guess服飾公司創辦人馬西安諾在日內瓦蘇富比拍賣會上購得。

Likened in size to a quail's egg, it was mined in Angola, Africa and the rough diamond from which it was cut was the size of a man's palm. In addition to its extraordinary carat weight, the diamond has received the highest possible grading. Described as "pure perfection" by auction house Sotheby's, the gem is D-colour, or finest white, has flawless clarity and its cut, polish and symmetry are classed as excellent. The price is just short of the record for a jewel at auction of ￡10million which was paid for the 100-carat Star Of The Season diamond in May 1995.

這顆鑽石大小約和鵪鶉蛋相當，是在非洲安哥拉挖出，未經琢磨的原鑽大小有如人的手掌。除了重量驚人，這顆鑽石也被評定等級最高。蘇富比拍賣屋形容鑽石「純粹完美」，有最優的白色或Ｄ色澤，透明且完美無瑕，其切割琢磨和對稱性也被指卓越。這個鑽石價格僅略低於1995年5月的100克拉「季節之星」鑽石拍賣所創的天價一千萬英鎊。