The 19-carat gem was estimated at $30-50 million.
Keystone
A pink diamond that garnered CHF50.4 million ($50 million) at auction in the Swiss city of Geneva, breaks the record price per carat for a stone of its kind.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch with Reuters/AFP; urs
The 19-carat Pink Legacy was purchased by the American luxury jeweller Harry Winston, part of the Swiss Swatch group, Christie’s announced on Tuesday.
“$2.6 million per carat. That is a world record per carat for a pink diamond,” said François Curiel, chairman of the Christie’s.
The gem had a pre-sale estimate of between $30million and $50 million.
The honour of the most expensive pink diamond goes to the almost 60-carat Pink Star that fetched a record price of over $83 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva in 2013. However, the purchaser did not settle his dues resulting in the stone being auctioned again in Hong Kong in 2017 garnering a $71.2 million bid.
The biannual Geneva jewellery sale on Tuesday netted $110 million in total, with 86% of lots finding new owners, according to Curiel.
‘Incomparable’
The Pink Legacy has been described as “one of the world’s greatest diamonds”. It once belonged to the Oppenheimer family which for decades ran the De Beers diamond mining company.
The rectangular-cut diamond has been graded “fancy vivid” – the highest possible grade of colour intensity. The gem is internally pure with a classic rectangular cut and mounted on a platinum ring.
The stone was discovered in a South African mine around a century ago and was probably cut in the 1920s and has not been altered since, Christie’s said.
The Pink Legacy is “the largest and finest Fancy Vivid Pink diamond ever offered at auction by Christie’s, which called the stone “incomparable.”
Only four vivid pink diamonds or over ten carats have ever been offered at auction. One of them, the nearly 15-carat Pink Promise, was sold last November at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong for US$32.5 million. That amounts to US$2.176 million per carat, which was previously the world auction record price per carat for any pink diamond.
There were at least five people bidding by phone for the pink stone on Tuesday in Geneva, but the winning bidder was a Harry Wilson representative sitting in the front row. Christie’s refused to reveal the name of the seller.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
Heimatort, sweet Heimatort: the unique Swiss concept of home
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
This content was published on
The value of frozen Russian assets in Switzerland currently stands at CHF 7.4 billion, the Swiss Confederation announced on Tuesday. This represents an increase of CHF 1.6 billion in one year. Additional assets have been identified, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
This content was published on
The number of business start-ups in Switzerland accelerated in the first three months of the year, with entrepreneurs being particularly dynamic in Central Switzerland, Basel and Geneva.
Most Swiss authorities want to ban Nazi symbols in public
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss political parties, cantons and associations want to ban the use and distribution of Nazi symbols in public.
This content was published on
French and Swiss armoured and artillery units will train together to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Swiss army.
Harmful substances in particulate matter underestimated: Swiss research
This content was published on
Measurements significantly underestimate the amount of harmful substances in particulate matter, says an international research team under Swiss leadership.
Switzerland reopens its humanitarian office in Kabul
This content was published on
Switzerland opened its humanitarian office in Kabul in mid-March to provide targeted aid to the Afghan population in distress.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Earring record shattered at Geneva auction
This content was published on
Sotheby’s in Geneva has set a record auction price for a pair of earrings, selling a duo of blue and pink diamond jewels for $57 million.
Rare ‘Sky Blue’ diamond goes under hammer in Geneva
This content was published on
The emerald-cut 8.01-carat Sky Blue Diamond, set in a Cartier ring, was sold on Wednesday for a third more than it fetched in 2012 ($12.8 million), said Sotheby’s international jewellery division director David Bennett. It had been estimated at $15-25 million. The stone was graded fancy vivid blue, the highest possible colour grading, awarded to…
Chinese vase sells for millions, 10,000 times estimated value
This content was published on
“Including the commission, the vase will cost the Asian buyer CHF6.08 million,” auctioneer Olivier Fichot told the AFP news agency. The 60cm high vase with three blue dragons on a yellow background was listed in the catalogue as originating from the beginning of the 20th century with a fake 18th century Qianlong seal. Qing dynasty?…
This content was published on
A number plate for the Swiss canton of Zug has sold anonymously at auction for CHF233,000 ($253,353), breaking the previous record of CHF161,000.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.