Editor’s Note
A record-setting 16.09-carat pink diamond, the largest ever offered at auction, sold for 28.7 million Swiss francs at Christie’s Geneva. The exceptionally rare “Fancy vivid Pink” stone underscores the enduring allure and value of top-tier colored gems.
The auction house Christie’s kicked off the high jewelry sales in Geneva on Tuesday evening with a 16.09-carat cushion-cut pink diamond, the largest of its kind ever offered at auction. The stone was sold for 28.7 million Swiss francs.
This diamond, named “In the Pink,” is certified “Fancy vivid Pink” by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The buyer remained anonymous. According to Christie’s, this is an exceptionally rare stone, as in 250 years, only three pink diamonds over 10 carats of the “Fancy vivid” type have been offered for sale.
Colored diamonds, once considered a curiosity in the 1960s, are increasingly sought after by collectors.
The pink color of the diamond remains a mystery. According to some experts, the stones may have been exposed to both extreme heat and immense pressure.
However, it is the rival American house Sotheby’s that will offer the most expensive diamond of these sales on Wednesday evening. It is a blue diamond, named the “Blue Moon Diamond,” estimated by the auction house to be worth between 35 and 55 million dollars, a potential world record in its category.
Weighing 12.03 carats with a cushion cut, this diamond has been certified “Fancy vivid blue” by the Gemological Institute of America, the rarest and most coveted color for a blue diamond, according to Sotheby’s.
It is the largest cushion-cut blue diamond ever offered at auction. Its discovery in the Cullinan mine in South Africa was announced in January 2014 by Petra Diamonds, the mine’s owner.
The world record for a diamond and a piece of jewelry sold at auction is still held since November 2010 by the Graff Pink, a 24.78-carat “Fancy Intense Pink” diamond sold in Geneva by Sotheby’s for 46.15 million dollars.
The kickoff for these November auctions in Geneva was given this weekend, with exceptional watches offered by the houses Antiquorum and Phillips.
Collectors from around the world participated, with a total of 6.11 million francs for 319 watches at Antiquorum and 27.84 million at Phillips, including five watches sold for over a million and a Patek Philippe fetching three million.
For these items on sale, a connection with a personality immediately drives up prices.
The famous 1972 Rolex Submariner watch worn by Roger Moore in the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” was sold on Sunday in Geneva for 335,000 euros (fees included) by the auction house Phillips.
A nice profit for its anonymous owner, as it had been acquired for 182,000 euros in November 2011 from Christie’s, also in Geneva.
On Wednesday, it will be seen if there is indeed a “James Bond premium,” with actor Sean Connery putting two pieces of jewelry up for sale at Sotheby’s: a 15.4-carat diamond with an orange-pink color, estimated between 1.2 and 2.4 million dollars, and a 5.18-carat diamond ring, estimated between 150,000 and 250,000 dollars.