Christie's Celebrates Spring With the Auction of the Princie Diamond
It’s usually Africa that gets all the attention for sparkling, oversized diamonds, but India is no slouch on the scene, either. Some of the most famous and beautiful diamonds have come from the Golconda mines, which are located in Southern India. In fact, one of the most famous pink diamonds in history is from Golconda, and it’s about to go up for auction at Christie’s; you may have heard of it, it’s the legendary Princie diamond.
What is the Princie?
The Princie diamond is a stunning pink diamond that weighs in at over 34 carats that was originally found in Golconda. It was so named after a young Indian prince — who was nicknamed Princie — who was honored, with his mother, at a Parisian party in 60s. The jewel bounced around anonymously for many years before reemerging recently, to the delight of many collectors. The cushion-cut, baby pink stone is expected to fetch up to $40 million.
Though Christie’s will offer many gorgeous gems at the April 16th auction, including an emerald and diamond Harry Winston necklace and a diamond cluster necklace by William Goldberg, it’s the Princie that was chosen as the highlight of the collection as a tribute to the beginning of spring.
A Fantastic Stone With a Fantastic Story
The entire history of the Princie diamond isn’t widely known. Indian royalty initially believed the blushing sparkler bestowed the owner with special powers, good favor and certain fortune. You’ll need a fortune to own the piece, so the legends are mostly correct.
Spring is certainly an exciting season bursting with beauty and possibility. The choice to celebrate the equinox with a lovely hued diamond is a wise one, and investors and gem lovers around the world are universally excited to see the Princie back in rotation after such a long hiatus.