Shirley Temple’s Fancy Deep Blue Diamond Ring To Be Auctioned At Sotheby’s, Could Fetch Up To $35M

Shirley Temple's 9.54-carat deep blue diamond ring is up for auction at Sotheby’s in New York Tuesday. The cushion-cut Fancy Blue Diamond ring, which was presented to the child actress by her father in 1940, is expected to sell for $25 million to $35 million, according to auction house estimates.

Sotheby's auction, called “Magnificent Jewels,” will be led by the ring worn by "America’s Little Darling," who died on Feb. 10, 2014, of natural causes, at the age of 85. At the time when the diamond ring was given to her, Temple was 12 and her movie, "The Blue Bird," had just premiered.

"To offer such a spectacular stone, bolstered by the impressive provenance of one of America’s brightest stars is an incredible opportunity worthy of a Hollywood ending," the auction house said, in a preview on its website. "Sotheby’s is privileged to again be entrusted with the sale of another one of the world’s greatest blue diamonds."

Other items up for Tuesday's auction include "Belle Époque beauties and Deco dazzlers to glittering contemporary creations," Sotheby's said. Colored stones mounted by Philadelphia jeweler J.E. Caldwell will also be part of the auction, along with several other jewelers of diamonds and gemstones.

"Highlights from the Collection of Mamdouha and Elmer Holmes Bobst include sculptural jewels designed by Marianne Ostier and fantastical creations by Donald Claflin for Tiffany & Co. Rich in their design history," the auction house said.