Another spectacular pink diamond is in the news. Hot on the heels of last week's sale of a 6.21-carat fancy vivid pink oval diamond for $11.9 million at Phillips Geneva, Christie's New York announced that its Magnificent Jewels auction on June 11 will spotlight "The Eden Rose," a 10.20-carat round brilliant-cut fancy intense pink diamond. The presale estimate is $9 million to $12 million.
What makes The Eden Rose so unique is the purity of its pink hue. While many natural pink diamonds typically display secondary hues, such as purple, orange, or grey, The Eden Rose stands out for its complete absence of any secondary color. What's more, the gem boasts the highest classification — Type IIa — for its chemical purity and optical transparency.
Christie's reports that The Eden Rose is the most significant round brilliant internally flawless fancy intense pink diamond to be offered at auction since the 12.04-carat "Martian Pink" sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2012 for the then-record price of $17.4 million.
"Twelve years ago, collectors were captivated by The Martian Pink," said Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewelry. "The stone surpassed its estimate to achieve a record price of $17 million, equating to $1.45 million per carat. The Eden Rose has never been offered at auction and we are proud to be presenting a jewel of its unmatched caliber for the first time this June in New York.”
The Eden Rose likely got its name from a light pink climbing rose that was created by Marie-Louise Meilland and introduced in France by Meilland International in 1985. The flower's scientific name is Rosa "Eden," but it is marketed as "Eden Rose 85," among other names. Pink roses are known to symbolize unconditional love.
Other notable fancy intense pink diamonds sold by Christie's include the 14.23-carat "Perfect Pink" (2010, $23.1 million) and an unnamed 9.07-carat gem (2015, $12.6 million).
The “CTF Pink Star” still holds the price record for any gem sold at auction. The 59.6-carat fancy vivid pink diamond sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for $71.2 million in 2017.
The Eden Rose will be on public display during Christie’s Luxury Week at Christie's Rockefeller Center in New York City from June 6 through 10.
Credits: Diamond mages courtesy of Christie's. Eden Rose flower photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
