There’s no denying that there’s something both alluringly mystical and enticingly feminine about coloured diamonds, with their crystalline structure and vibrant sparkle ensuring that any passing gaze is snared by their presence. There is one special type of these precious gemstones, though, that has fired the imagination of haute joaillerie enthusiasts the world over recently – the rarified pink diamond.
Any doubters need look no further than the recent Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Sale held by auction house Sotheby’s last month, where an exquisite 10.64-carat pink diamond ring was the star of the show, fetching nearly US$19.9 million and outshining far larger stones – an Anna Hu necklace set with a 100-carat yellow diamond and an 80.88-carat emerald-cut white diamond, to name but two.
To experts, the final hammer price came as no surprise. After all, not only is it Internally Flawless, it also boasts a uniquely pinkish-purple colouring. What’s more, given that just four percent of all diamonds are of the pink variety, and that just one percent of those rarities are certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) as being over 10 carats, its superior performance was pretty much assured from the start.