This 8.41-carat fancy vivid purple-pink diamond is of internally flawless clarity, which is rare in pink diamonds of this size and color. It is expected to sell for $12.8 to $15.4 million this October in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong--Let the color craze continue.
In a year that has seen a number of record-breaking sales of natural colored diamonds, Sotheby's is offering another exceptional stone: an 8.41-carat internally flawless, fancy vivid purple-pink diamond.
Part of the auction house's Oct. 7 sale in Hong Kong, the pear-shaped stone is expected to garner between $12.8 and $15.4 million.
Sotheby's said the stone was cut from a 19.54-carat rough diamond unearthed by De Beers, with final cutting taking place in New York City.
In addition to being deemed "fancy vivid" by the Gemological Institute of America, meaning it has the most saturated and vibrant color, the stone is of IF clarity, which is "virtually unseen" in significantly sized fancy vivid or fancy intense pink diamonds offered at auction.
Because of the stone's combination of saturated color and high clarity, Sotheby's said it ranks among the "most desirable" colored diamonds ever offered at auction.
The 8.41-carat stone has the highest per-carat pre-sale estimate of any pink diamond to date at approximately $1.8 million. The current record per-carat price for a fancy vivid pink diamond is $2.2 million, set by Christie's 2009 sale of a 5-carat diamond in Hong Kong.
Another pink diamond, the 24.76-carat "Graff Pink" is the current world record-holder for any diamond or gemstone at auction. Laurence Graff paid $46.2 million ($1.9 million per carat) for the diamond at Sotheby's in November 2010.
The 8.41-carat diamond will be part of Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Autumn sale, which is scheduled to take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Prior to the sale, interested buyers will be able to see the stone at preview events in Singapore, Taipei, New York, London, Geneva and Hong Kong.
