DIAMONDS AT AUCTION

WORLD’S LARGEST INTENSE FANCY PINK COLOR DIAMOND TO BE AUCTIONED ON NOVEMBER 5

A 37.30-carat gem, which has been described as the world’s largest known intense pink fancy-color diamond, is scheduled to go on the block at Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels Sale on November 15.  Called the “Raj Pink,” it is estimated that the diamond will obtain a price of between $20 million and $30 million, although an even better result is possible, judging by past history.

“The discovery of any pink diamond is exceptional, but the Raj Pink’s remarkable size and intensity of color places it in the rarefied company of the most important pink diamonds known,” stated David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewelry Division.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which examined the diamond prior to Sotheby’s announcement, described it as astonishing. “Only on the rarest occasions do diamonds with vibrant, shocking color like the Raj Pink’s emerge. Only the most privileged and knowledgeable in the industry know of their existence. With an unmodified fancy intense pink hue, substantial size and desirable clarity, the Raj Pink is certainly one of those gems that only few may have the honor of experiencing,” the renowned gem lab noted in a statement.

Described as a cushion-modified brilliant cut, the rough diamond from which the Raj Pink was created was discovered in 2015.

The Raj pink will not be the only spectacular fancy color diamond on sale at Sotheby’s in Geneva that day. Also featured is a fancy vivid blue diamond weighing 7.41 carats, mounted in a ring surrounded by Fancy Pink diamonds. Its pre-sale estimate is between $14 million and $18 million.

Also on sale are two massive fancy intense yellow diamonds weighing 82.47 and 102.54 carats, called the “The Donnersmarck Diamonds,” after the princely von Donnersmarck family that previously owned them. Together, they are expected to bring in between $9 million and $14 million.

The record for the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction is currently held by the Pink Star, a 59.60-carat, fancy vivid pink diamond that sold for $71.2 million this past April at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong. The record holder for a fancy intense pink diamond is the Graff Pink, a 24.78-carat stone that sold for $46.1 million at Sotheby’s in Geneva in 2010.

MID House of Diamonds is of the world’s preeminent suppliers of loose fancy-colored diamonds, with a large and varied stock. Because it is a world of which many diamond buyers are less familiar, with different pricing patterns and grading standards, MID invites you to speak with one of the fancy color experts on its team.