Archive for the ‘Pink’ tag

Vivid Pink diamond sold off for record £6.5 million in Hong Kong

A rare, 5-carat ‘vivid pink’ diamond was auctioned off for a record £6.5 million at Christies in Hong Kong last week.

The sale made by an unidentified Asian buyer beat the previous record, set 15 years ago in Geneva for a 19.66-carat stone at £4.4 million.

Graff Diamond jewellers set the chickpea-sized stone (a quarter of the size of the Geneva stone) in a ‘cushion-cut’ ring. Francois Curiel, Christie’s Europe chairman described it as a “fabulous pink diamond, probably one of the rarest stones I’ve ever seen.”

The diamond’s pre-sale estimate was between five and seven million dollars. The pink gem’s per-carat price of £1.3 million was also the highest ever paid for any diamond at auction, according to Christie’s.

£1.2 million a carat for pink coloured diamond

“No stone has ever been sold for £1.2 million a carat, we were used to £600,000 a carat for coloured diamonds but never £1.2 million,” said Curiel. “This is an absolute record that is not going to be broken for a while I believe.”

The South African-mined diamond has minor blemishes, which the auction house says can be removed by minor re-polishing. The bid beat a £6.3 million bid for a seven-carat blue diamond in Geneva this year.

“This definitely went above its high estimate, but that is what the market thought it was worth,” a Christie’s spokeswoman told AFP. “We think this will probably hold for quite some time — it’s a very strong price.”

She added Asian jewellery buyers have become “an extremely important group” for the auction house. “They are very active, very sophisticated and they’re buying at the very high end.”

‘Vivid Pink’ up for sale at Christie’s

Hong Kong–Christie’s annual Fall Sale of Magnificent Jewels will feature more than 250 gemstones and pieces of jewelry valued in excess of $33 million.

Taking place on Dec. 1 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, the sale will be a showcase of important diamonds, fine colored gemstones, top jadeite jewels and signed creations from the likes of Bulgari, Cartier, Graff, Van Cleef and Arpels and Wallace Chan.

The sale will also include four magnificent jewels from an esteemed private collection, including “The Vivid Pink,” a 5-carat fancy vivid-pink diamond with potentially flawless clarity set in a ring by Graff. It is estimated to fetch between $5 million and $7 million.

The collection also includes a second ring set by Graff, this one featuring a 9.03-carat oval-shaped fancy vivid-yellow diamond with VVS1 clarity, estimated between $900,000 and $1.2 million.

The remaining two items from the private collection, a 16.65-carat cushion-shaped Kashmir sapphire ring by Van Cleef and Arpels, and “The Cartier Diamond Love Cuff,” a custom, one-of-a-kind creation studded with high-quality diamonds, are estimated between $700,000 and $1 million, and $250,000 to $350,000, respectively.

Additional diamonds from the Magnificent Jewels sale include an unmounted, 16.99-carat brilliant-cut Type IIa diamond with D color and flawless clarity ($2.2 million-$3.2 million), as well as an 11-carat pear-shaped Type IIa diamond with D color and flawless clarity set into a pendant necklace ($800,000-$1.2 million).

Aside from The Vivid Pink, fans of colored diamonds will find a rare, rectangular-cut fancy intense-blue diamond weighing in at 3.02 carats ($940,000-$1.28 million), a 0.84-carat rectangular-shaped fancy red diamond ($250,000-$375,000), and a pair of 8.52-carat and 8.39-carat pear-shaped fancy yellow internally flawless diamond ear pendants ($400,000-$600,000).

In terms of colored gemstones, auction highlights include a 25.04-carat pear-shaped Burmese sapphire and diamond pendant necklace ($600,000-$800,000), an emerald and diamond necklace from Bulgari ($80,000-$120,000) and a ruby and diamond Art Deco bracelet by Cartier ($625,000-$1 million).

Christie’s said in a media release that natural pearls and jadeite are among additional strong draws for collectors in Asia. The Magnificent Jewels sale will feature a pair of diamond and natural-pearl ear pendants from Chaumet ($230,000-$350,000), a multicolored, graduated natural-pearl necklace ($150,000-$230,000) and a rare pair of natural-pearl and diamond ear clips from Cartier ($160,000-$230,000).

The standouts among the jadeite pieces are a carved jadeite Guanyin, estimated between $1 million and $1.5 million, and a carved jadeite figure of Metteyya Buddha, commonly referred to as the “Laughing Buddha,” estimated between $750,000 and $1 million.