Editor’s Note
This article highlights the upcoming auction of the exceptionally rare “Glowing Rose,” a 10.08-carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond. Its arrival at Sotheby’s Geneva underscores the enduring market for unique, high-value gems among collectors and investors.
Sotheby’s is auctioning the “Glowing Rose,” a 10.08-carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond.
Another diamond destined for wealthy investors or collectors is arriving at Sotheby’s Geneva. The Glowing Rose is a rare 10.08-carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond with a brilliant cushion cut and exceptional quality: it is only the third brilliant-cut vivid pink diamond over 10 carats to come to market in ten years. The stone will be sold on November 12 as part of Sotheby’s High Jewellery sale, held at the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva. It is estimated at around $20 million (16 million Swiss francs). Prior to the sale, the Glowing Rose will be exhibited in Singapore on October 17 and 18 and in Taipei on October 23 and 24, presented in a specially designed display case by the British jeweler Boodles, one of the world’s leading suppliers of pink diamonds.
In May, the auction house already sold the “Mediterranean Blue,” the most valuable diamond or gemstone sold at auction this year, for $21.5 million. The “Glowing Rose” gets its name from its pure, luminous pink color, an extremely rare phenomenon, as most pink diamonds exhibit shifting secondary hues.
Jody Wainwright, CEO of Boodles
Cushion-cut diamonds have been generating significant interest worldwide since the recent reveal of Taylor Swift’s engagement ring. The “Glowing Rose” also stands out for its saturated color, very high purity, and, at just over 10 carats, a very rare size for a pink diamond of this quality. The cushion cut is particularly prized for pink diamonds, as its rounded corners and unique facet arrangement enhance the depth and warmth of the hue.
The “Glowing Rose” originates from a 21-carat rough diamond mined in Angola in 2023. Less than 0.01% of diamonds are colored, and pink is one of nature’s rarest colors. Among all diamonds examined by the Gemological Institute of America, less than 3% are classified as colored, and of those, less than 5% are considered predominantly pink, representing less than 0.15% of all diamonds graded by GIA. Furthermore, only a tiny percentage have a color intense enough to be graded “Fancy Vivid Pink,” with most weighing less than one carat. “Vivid pink” diamonds represent only a fraction of 0.0001% of the global diamond supply.