Sotheby's Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond
And this time, it’s flawless. Now that the hullaballoo over the Pink Star diamond and its delinquent buyer has died down, it’s time for another pink giant to steal the spotlight. The previous record-holder for pink diamond auctions was, of course, the Graff Pink, a 24.76 carat fancy intense pink snapped up by Laurence Graff in fall 2010. That diamond sold for $46 million.
While the newest rosy diamond on the auction block is considerably smaller than both the Graff Pink and the behemoth 59.6 carat pink star, it has its own charms. The pear shaped sparkler weighs in at “only” 8.41 carats, but its purply-pink hue is unique and vibrant. The color is graded as Fancy Vivid, and that aforementioned Flawless grade make this diamond the best of the best. Both grades are the highest in their respective color and clarity categories, and the two combined are extremely rare for pink diamonds.
According to Sotheby’s, “Internally flawless clarity…is extremely rare in pink diamonds and virtually unseen in any significant pink diamond of fancy vivid or fancy intense color grading ever sold at auction.”
The GIA graded rock will be up for grabs on October 7th as part of Sotheby’s Hong Kong’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale. The diamond could fetch anywhere from $12.8 million to $15.4 million, which pale in comparison to the $46 million price tag on the Graff Pink and the (now tainted) $83 million price for the Pink Star. However, because the stone is significantly smaller, it’s expected that it will set a per-carat-price record.
According to Quek Chin Yeow, deputy chairman, Asia, and chairman international Jewellery, Asia, “This color is one of the most beautiful and concentrated shades of pink in diamonds that I have seen and, combined with the exceptional clarity, it is not surprising that it would command the highest per-carat pre-sale estimate for any pink diamond to date.
The diamond, an elegant pear shape just begging for a name, was cut from a 19.54 carat rough mined by (surprise!) De Beers and cut in NYC. And before it finds its forever home in Hong Kong, the diamond will go on tour for viewings in Singapore, Taipei, New York, London, Geneva and Hong Kong.
