14.83 Carat Purple-pink Diamond Sells for $26.6 Million
Hot off the back of the closure of the famous Argyle mine, world renowned producer of around 90% of all pink diamonds, comes the auction of an ultra rare, vivid purple-pink diamond mined in Russia and selling yesterday at Sotheby’s Geneva for an incredible $26,612,763.
This stunning stone was unearthed by diamond producer Alrosa based in the Sakha region of Russia, in July 2017. It took over a year of true artistry and unparalleled passion to expose its inner beauty and create the 14.83 carat oval diamond, named ‘The Spirit of the Rose’.
It is the largest of its kind (colour, clarity and cut) to be offered at auction. "The occurrence of pink diamonds in nature is extremely rare in any size. Only one percent of all pink diamonds are larger than 10-carats," said Gary Schuler, worldwide chairman of Sotheby's jewellery division.
Head of fine jewellery auctions at Sotheby's Geneva, Benoit Repellin, commented that the oval-shaped diamond was "completely pure." And according to Repellin, five out of the 10 most valuable diamonds ever sold at auction were pink.
Record-breaking gems
Highest price record: The world auction record for a diamond or any gemstone or jewel was the "CTF Pink Star", a 59.60 carat oval pink diamond that sold for $71.2 million in Hong Kong in 2017, after just 5 minutes of bidding.
Highest price per carat: In November 2013, Christies sold the largest vivid orange diamond in the world for $35m for a record-breaking $2.4m per carat.
Most expensive precious stone: In May 2015, a 25.59 carat “pigeon blood” Burmese ruby named the Sunrise Ruby, sold for a staggering $30m, making it the most expensive precious stone other than a diamond.
