When "The Glowing Rose" — a 10.08-carat Fancy Vivid Pink cushion-cut diamond valued at approximately $20 million — goes under the hammer at Sotheby’s Geneva on November 12, it will mark one of the most anticipated jewelry auctions of the year. The breathtaking gem, notable for its exceptional color and clarity, is only the third Vivid Pink, cushion-cut diamond larger than 10 carats to appear at auction in the past decade.
Color-saturated pink diamonds, particularly those graded “Fancy Vivid,” make up an infinitesimal sliver of the diamond world. Less than 0.15 % of all diamonds submitted to the Gemological Institute of America are graded as predominantly pink and, of those, very few ever attain the intensity and purity to be called Vivid.
Add to its résumé a very high VVS2 clarity grade and the fact it belongs to Type IIa — the purest chemical subgroup found in fewer than 2% of gem diamonds — and the stone becomes all the more exceptional.
Its provenance is equally compelling. The stone was cut from a 21-carat rough discovered in 2023 at the famed Lulo mine in Angola’s diamond-rich Lunda Norte region, a site operated by Lucapa and already renowned for producing rare large stones.
The cushion cut itself deserves special attention. Often favored in fancy colored diamonds, the shape displays rounded corners and facet geometry that can deepen and warm the stone’s tone. This very cut recently surged into public awareness when pop star Taylor Swift chose a cushion cut for her engagement ring. Sotheby’s noted that cushion shapes “best showcase the diamond’s color saturation and brilliance” in pink stones.
The gem is mounted in a bespoke presentation setting crafted by British heritage jeweler Boodles, known for its mastery of pink diamond jewelry. The ring design features baguette diamonds in a channel, a chevron contour and a white diamond band that appears to flow from the central gem itself.
In terms of auction context, The Glowing Rose enters an elite circle of pink diamonds. In 2022, the Williamson Pink Star (11.15 carats) fetched $57.7 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong, setting a record price per carat for any gemstone. In 2023, the Eternal Pink (10.57 carats) sold at Sotheby's New York for $34.8 million. Rarer still is the CTF Pink Star, a 59.60-ct Fancy Vivid pink that holds the world auction record for the highest price paid for any gemstone, at $71.2 million. It was sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2017.
Credits: Images courtesy of Sotheby's.