A rare yellow diamond from South Africa — believed to be the largest of its kind — has sold for a record $12.3 million.

Sotheby's auction house in Geneva sold the 110-carat “Sun-Drop Diamond” on Tuesday to an anonymous buyer who bid by telephone.

Officials say the pear-shaped diamond is the largest vivid yellow diamond in the world. It is roughly the size of a woman's thumb.

The final sales price was within Sotheby's pre-auction estimate, which predicted the diamond would fetch between $11 million and $15 million.

The huge gem was discovered in South Africa last year and was sold by the New York-based diamond company Coral International.