Interest in coloured diamonds was once again in the spotlight on 10 November in Geneva. At a Christie’s auction, a 1950s Bulgari ring featuring a natural 24-carat pink diamond was sold for 12.086 million Swiss francs (over $14.6 million). The emerald-cut stone, graded Fancy Intense Pink with a clarity of VVS2, exceeded the lower end of its pre-sale estimate of 10–15 million francs, reports Il Giornale Della’Arte. However, it is still a long way from the biggest auction records.
1. CTF Pink Star — $71.2 million
The record is held by a 59.60-carat pink diamond. In April 2017, Sotheby’s sold it in Hong Kong for 553 million Hong Kong dollars. The stone was awarded the highest colour grade of Fancy Vivid Pink and classified as Internally Flawless. It was purchased by the Chow Tai Fook jewellery group, which gave the diamond its current name. A previous attempt to sell it in 2013 for $83 million fell through because the buyer refused to pay for the transaction.
2. Williamson Pink Star — $57.7 million
The 11.15-carat pink diamond was sold at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in October 2022. The price reached a record $5.18 million per carat. The stone was mined at the Williamson mine in Tanzania. Its rich Fancy Vivid Pink colour and exceptional clarity made the lot one of the highlights of the jewellery market.
3. Oppenheimer Blue — $57.54 million
The 14.62-carat blue diamond was sold at Christie’s in Geneva in May 2016. The stone was graded Fancy Vivid Blue and named after Sir Philip Oppenheimer, a member of the family that played a key role in the global diamond industry for decades through De Beers.
4. De Beers Cullinan Blue — $57.47 million
The 15.10-carat blue diamond was sold at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong in April 2022. Mined at the Cullinan mine in South Africa in 2021, it was graded as Fancy Vivid Blue and Internally Flawless. Four bidders vied for the lot, with the bidding lasting eight minutes.
5. Pink Legacy — $50.4 million
An 18.96-carat pink diamond was sold by Christie’s in Geneva in November 2018 for 50.375 million Swiss francs, or approximately $50.4 million. It had previously belonged to the Oppenheimer family. The buyer was the jewellery house Harry Winston, which renamed the stone the Winston Pink Legacy.
Rarity determines the price
The value of such diamonds is determined not only by their weight and clarity, but above all by their natural origin and colour intensity. The closure in 2020 of the Argyle mine in Australia, one of the main sources of pink diamonds, has further heightened interest in rare specimens.
Three record-breaking sales took place in Hong Kong, and two in Geneva. Sotheby’s accounted for three of the top five results, whilst Christie’s accounted for two. These figures demonstrate just how fierce the competition is amongst the world’s leading collectors and jewellery houses for gems that are virtually without equal.
This story was translated with the assistance of artificial intelligence.The translation was also reviewed by the Logos Press editorial team.
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