| Founded | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Martin Rapaport |
| Type | Auction service |
| Headquarters | New York, United States |
| Services | Diamond and jewelry auctions |
| Owner | Rapaport Group |
Key people | Martin Rapaport Dan Mano (CEO, 2025-present) |
Rapaport Auctions is an international diamond and jewelry auction platform. It is known for organizing monthly sealed-bid auctions of melee and single polished diamonds.
Rapaport Auctions was founded as a subsidiary of Rapaport Group, by Martin Rapaport in 1976. [1] [2] [3]
It conducts diamond melee and single-stone auctions. [4] [5] Melee auctions consist of parcels of small, uncertified polished diamonds typically under 0.2 carats each, sold in bulk lots with a total weight ranging from 30 to 500 carats. Many melee lots consist of recycled diamonds. [6] [7] [8] Single-stone auctions involve individual loose diamonds ranging from 0.30 to over 5 carats. Both certified and uncertified diamonds are auctioned and disclosed as such to the bidder. [9] [10] [11]
The service uses a sealed-bid, silent auction format with multi-day viewing sessions that allow buyers to inspect lots before placing bids. Participants are usually wholesalers, retailers, diamond dealers and pawnbrokers. [12] Auctions are conducted in New York, Las Vegas, Antwerp, Ramat Gan, Dubai, Mumbai, Surat, and Hong Kong. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
In December 2017, it handled the sale of the 709-carat Peace Diamond for Sierra Leone. [18] [19] [20]