Anew record has been set for the most expensive fancy vivid pink diamond ever to be sold at auction. When it came up for sale earlier this year, the Unique Pink, an extremely rare 15.38-carat pear-shaped pink diamond, went for US$31.6 million. Sold at Sotheby’s Geneva, the gem was acquired by an anonymous Asian private phone bidder.
The most expensive pink diamond ever to sell at auction remains the 24.78-carat Graff Pink, which sold for $46.2 million at Sotheby’s in November 2010. However, the Unique Pink eclipsed the previous record for a fancy vivid pink diamond, which was set by the Sweet Josephine at a Christie’s auction in November 2015 when it sold for US$28.5 million. That particular gem was bought by Joseph Lau, a Hong Kong billionaire, who purchased it for Josephine, his then seven-year-old daughter. Hence the name, we imagine.
Speaking prior to the sale of the Unique Pink, David Bennett, worldwide chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery, said: “It is difficult to imagine a diamond that better illustrates the term vivid pink than this outstanding stone. The colour is simply astonishing and, for its size, in my experience, it is truly unique.”
The sale formed part of the Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction, a high profile event that proved to be a huge success, bringing in a genuinely impressive total of $175.1 million. Several of the other gems on offer also set new records, including a fancy vivid blue diamond that sold for $17.1 million.