YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. A rare blue diamond that has spent the past 300 years in Europe's royal houses has been sold at auction in Geneva for $6.7m (£5m), BBC reports.

The Farnese Blue was given as a wedding present to Elizabeth Farnese, daughter of the Duke of Parma, when she married Philip V of Spain in 1715.

It then passed down through the generations, moving from Spain to France, Italy and Austria.

The 6.1 carat diamond comes from the famous Golconda mine of India.

According to the auctioneers' website, the pear-shaped diamond once formed part of a tiara owned by the ill-fated French Queen Marie Antoinette.

The identity of the new owner has not been revealed.

ENGLISH: Editor/Translator - Stepan Kocharyan