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Rare Purple-Pink Diamond Up For Sale At Christie's

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

purple-pinkish diamond at christies
Sales for pink diamonds have been rising and rising over the past few years. The larger rare stones aren't just beautiful to look at, they are considered money in the bank for investors. The market gets another test next month when Christie's brings a 10.09 Fancy Vivid purplish-pink diamond up for sale as part of its Magnificent Jewels sale in New York April 12. JCK Online reports that the diamond is estimated at $12 million to $15 million. The record for pink diamonds belongs to a 24.78 carat stone which sold for $46 million at Sotheby's last year.

Blockbuster Pink Diamonds For Sale At M.S. Rau Antiques

Filed under: Jewelry

pink diamonds rau antiques
There's no question that pink diamonds are hotter than hot lately. Last month a modified rectangular-cut fancy vivid purple-pink diamond of 6.89 carats sold for $6.91 million at Christie's New York Jewels auction on December 7. You won't have to pay quite that much to make the Cassel Pink Diamond yours. The Cassel Pink Diamond was once owned by the famous English banker and royal financial advisor, Sir Ernest Cassel and is a 4.71 carat purplish-pink diamond. It is GIA certified Fancy Purple-Pink with SI2 clarity. The center stone is set in 18K rose gold with .79 carats of pink diamonds. It is for sale at M.S. Rau Antiques in New Orleans for $1.4 million.

A lighter stone, a 10.02 carat, cushion-cut, "Natural Fancy Light Pink" diamond ring is also for sale. This one is also set in 18K rose gold and surrounded by 1.00 total carat of round brilliant pink diamonds. It sells for $1.3 million.

Purple-Pink Diamond Sells For $1 Million A Carat

Filed under: Jewelry

Lately it seems the world can't get enough of pink diamonds. We've seen a variety of records for pink diamond set recently, from the $46-million pink diamond sold at Sotheby's recently to Laurence Graff to the "the perfect pink" sold for over $23 million to anonymous buyer at Christie's Hong Kong over the weekend. The latest is a modified rectangular-cut fancy vivid purple-pink diamond of 6.89 carats which was sold for $6.91 million at Christie's New York Jewels auction on December 7. The cut-cornered modified rectangular-cut fancy vivid purple-pink diamond is set in a ring with a pavé-set pink diamond surround, gallery and hoop, mounted in 18k rose gold. The anonymous buyer paid about $1 million per carat. National Jeweler reports that the auction total of $22.1 million, brought Christie's New York jewelry sales total to $131 million for the year, the highest total ever for the U.S. jewelry auction market.

Perfect Pink Diamond Sets Hong Kong Record

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

perfect pink diamondIt's not a world-record setter like the $46-million pink diamond sold at Sotheby's recently but a stone called "the perfect pink" sold for over $23 million to an anonymous buyer at Christie's Hong Kong over the weekend. The 14.23 ct. rectangular-cut fancy intense pink diamond is the most expensive jewel ever sold in Asia. The sale was a record-setter overall, bringing in $78.9 million, highest ever for a jewelry auction in Asia and the largest ever at Christie's worldwide. The pink diamond is flanked by a pair of rectangular D-flawless diamonds weighing 1.73 and 1.67 carats and mounted in 18k rose and white gold. The center stone is graded fancy intense pink, natural colour, VVS2 clarity, with excellent symmetry. It is a type IIa diamond, diamonds which are chemically very pure and are famed for their clean, jaw-dropping sparkle.

Pink Diamond Sells for $46 million, Setting a World Auction Record

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

Sotheby's sells 24.78 carat pink diamond for $46 million, setting a world record
Sotheby's Geneva set a world auction record for any diamond and any jewel today when it sold an exceptionally rare and magnificent Fancy Intense Pink Emerald-cut Diamond. Weighing in at 24.78 Carats, the ring sold for for $46,158,674, well above the pre-sale estimate of $27 million to $38 million.

Four bidders competed for the gem, which is considered to be one of the most important and beautiful stones ever to come up for auction. The stone came to the market from a private collection, and has not appeared on the open market since it was purchased some 60 years ago from Mr. Harry Winston (who's namesake company won the Luxist Awards' Readers Choice Award for best jewelry line).

The diamond was bought by Patti Wong, Sotheby's Chairman in Asia, bidding on behalf of Laurence Graff, the British billionaire jeweler to the stars (and a Luxist Awards nominee for best jewelry line). Shortly after the sale, Laurence Graff named the diamond "The Graff Pink" and made the following statement: "It is the most fabulous diamond I've seen in the history of my career and I'm delighted to have bought it."

World's Rarest Barbie Fetches a Record Price for a Good Cause

Filed under: Auctions, Charity, Celebrity Design

Stefano Canturi's Legendary BarbieYou may remember our listing of the World's Rarest Barbie by Stefano Canturi, which was up for auction at Christie's to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Not surprisingly, this auction set a record for Barbie herself, fetching a whopping $302,500.00.

This doll, which exudes Canturi's signature cubist design, wears over three carats of white diamonds and a necklace bearing a one-carat Fancy Vivid Pink emerald-cut diamond from the Australian Argyle mine -- a magnificent stone the lucky buyer could easily reset, if he or she dares disassemble Canturi's creation.

Christie's New York hosted the auction on October 20th, and the extravagant Barbie was bid on by buyers both in the room and over the phone. The doll was won by a private collector in Asia, and 100% of the proceeds went straight to BCRF.

This price beats the previous Barbie record, set by Christie's South Kensington in 2006: $17,091.00 for the 1965 Barbie in "Midnight Red."

Rare Pink Diamond Could Be One Of The World's Most Expensive Stones

Filed under: Jewelry

Another big pink diamond will test its luck at Sotheby's this fall. A 24.78 carat Fancy Intense Pink diamond that was last seen on the market 60 years ago, when it was purchased from Harry Winston, will be auctioned off at Sotheby's Geneva on November 16, 2010. The emerald-cut stone is mounted in a ring and has been determined to be part of the type IIa classification, a rare type of stone that represents less than two percent of all of the world's gem diamonds. The stone is currently graded as VVS2 clarity, but the report from the Gemological Institute of America states that the stone may be internally flawless after repolishing. The stone is offered for sale with a pre-sale estimate of $27-38 million. Last year a five-carat pink stone sold for $10.8 million setting a new per carat record.

Rare Pink Diamond Up For Auction In Canada

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions


A rare 10.11 carat orangy-pink diamond is causing a stir in Canada. The stone is the top lot in a jewelry auction being held by Circa Auctions at the Park Hyatt hotel in Toronto, Ontario on October 3rd. The Toronto Star reports that is is the most expensive diamond ever auctioned in Canada. It is estimated to bring in $2.5 million to $3 million Canadian. The fancy intense organy-pink cushion cut stone came from the Argyle mine in Australia (famous for its pink diamonds) and is rated as a VS2 stone meaning it has some small inclusions. The Star article says that the Sultan of Brunei is said to have the largest collection of pink diamonds. The purchase includes "naming rights" to the stone.

Gem Records set at Christie's Hong Kong Auction

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

Hong Kong's fall sales have been great for records, for Christie's in particular. After several were broken at the art auction this week, the gem scene was ignited. A pink diamond no larger than a chickpea went for $10.8 million, according to Bloomberg News. The stone had the second-highest rating available (potentially flawless) and a weight of 5 carats. It shattered the per-carat record set back in May. Back then, Hong Kong property investor Joseph Lau picked up a 7.03-carat blue diamond at an auction in Geneva for $10.5 million.

The pink diamond was sent under the gavel by Graff Diamonds, a London-based jeweler. The stone was sold to a phone bidder who beat out Liu Yiqian and his wife, Wang Wei. But, those two have bought enough already, right?

Overall, the 255 lots sold (an 89 percent sell rate) brought in HK$372 million, with the action pushed forward by mainland Chinese, a growing trend in the auction world this year. Donald May, a ruby and sapphire dealer based in Hong Kong, attended the auction and told Bloomberg, "There's a lot of mainland Chinese buying; either they didn't know what the items are worth or they wanted them so badly that price didn't matter." He believes that prices were pushed way out of control.

There were other records set in Hong Kong, as well. A sapphire weighing 16.65 carats, set by Van Cleef & Arpels, brought in HK$18.6 million, also setting a per-carat record.

[Photo courtesy of Christie's]

The Vivid Pink Diamond To Go Up For Auction

Filed under: Jewelry

the vivid pink diamond
This bubblegum pink stone up for sale in Christie's Hong Kong in December isn't just a fancy vivid pink diamond, it is known as 'The Vivid Pink' an expression of its exceptional color. The stone, which has been set in a ring by Graff, comes from a private collection. It is estimated to sell for $5 million to $7 million at the auction on December 1. The stone weighs a neat 5.00 carats and Christie's says it is the largest Fancy Vivid Pink Potentially Flawless diamond to ever be offered for sale at auction. 'The Vivid Pink' is particularly prized because it shows no trace of any secondary color for a truly deep saturated pink shade rarely seen in diamonds. Only one in one hundred thousand diamonds has a color deep enough to qualify as 'Fancy.' In advance of the sale the diamond will be going on a display tour in New York, Singapore, Bangkok, Geneva and Taipei starting in October.

[via National Jeweler]

Big Pink Diamond Tries It Again At Auction

Filed under: Jewelry, Auctions

I recently finished a book called Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession by Matthew Hart which explores the history of the diamond trade. The book begins with the discovery of a large pink diamond in Brazil. There's something distinctly alluring about the big pink diamonds. A few years ago, pink diamonds loomed large in the public consciousness after Ben Affleck bestowed a bubblegum pink, six carat diamond on Jennifer Lopez.

Since then prices for pink diamonds have varied. The Economist covers the history of the 28-carat pink available for bid at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels auction on December 6. We first heard of this gem back in May 2005 when it failed to sell at auction. The sparkler was on its own then, now it has been mounted into a ring to better tempt those who might slide this cotton-candy confection onto a finger and decide they must possess it at all costs. Young women in Hong Kong and China have pushing up the prices of these stones. This diamond could sell for over $7 million even though it is graded VS2 (a trained eye and a 10x loupe could spot the flaws).

The gem was found in either Britain or Angola and may well be the big pink diamond of Hart's book (the rough diamond was sold and Hart never saw it after it was polished). I suspect this diamond won't go unsold this time, after all a paler and slightly smaller pink sold for a similar price in 2005.

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