A spectacular 8.41-carat pink diamond with a vivid purple overtone is poised to become the star of Christie’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels Autumn Auction on November 24, where it carries a presale estimate of up to HKD 95 million ($12 million).
The pear modified brilliant-cut diamond is graded Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink — the Gemological Institute of America’s highest and most vibrant color intensity designation for this category — and belongs to the exceptionally rare Type IIa classification. Type IIa diamonds are prized for their chemical purity and exceptional optical transparency.
The diamond’s captivating color combination is its biggest attraction. Purple-pink diamonds are among the most coveted of nature’s colored gemstones, and specimens with intense, saturated color become dramatically rarer as their size increases. The 8.41-carat centerpiece is surrounded by round and lozenge-shaped diamonds in an elegant, dimensional ring setting.
Christie’s has particular bragging rights when it comes to this unusual color. In May 2021, the auction house sold the 15.81-carat Sakura Diamond for $29.3 million in Hong Kong. Graded Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink, Internally Flawless and Type IIa, the Sakura remains the most valuable Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink diamond ever sold at auction.
The all-time auction record for a pink diamond, however, belongs to the legendary 59.60-carat Pink Star. The Fancy Vivid Pink, Internally Flawless diamond realized $71.2 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2017. Purchased by Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook, it was subsequently renamed the CTF Pink Star. The sale established a world auction record for any gemstone.
The rarity of exceptional pink diamonds has become even more apparent since Australia’s Argyle mine, historically the world’s most important source of pink diamonds, ceased operations in 2020. According to Christie’s, fewer than 10% of pink diamonds weigh more than one-fifth of a carat, while only about 4% achieve the Fancy Vivid color grade.
Adding another dose of gemstone glamour to Christie's November sale is a spectacular Cartier ruby-and-diamond brooch featuring a 10.10-carat Burmese ruby. The ruby displays the highly prized “pigeon blood red” color and shows no indications of heating — a combination that makes an untreated Burmese ruby of this size exceptionally rare.
Dating to Cartier’s pioneering platinum period in the early 20th century, the brooch frames its crimson centerpiece with triangular and square-cut diamonds in a bold, geometric design. It carries an estimate of up to HKD 60 million ($7.7 million).
Jewelry lovers will have several opportunities to see the featured jewels before the Hong Kong sale. Christie’s plans previews in Taipei, Bangkok, Beijing, Geneva, Shanghai and Hong Kong beginning in mid-October.
Credits: Images courtesy of Christie's.