It was the highest price-per-carat that a pink diamond has ever fetched at auction
A fancy vivid pink diamond just shy of 19 carats has been sold to the US-based jeweller Harry Winston for 50.4 million Swiss francs in Geneva. According to a press release from Christie’s auction house, the bidding lasted only five minutes before it was declared the most expensive pink diamond ever sold at auction, weighing in at over $2.6 million per carat.
The Pink Legacy diamond, which was previously owned by the Oppenheimer family has since been renamed as the “Winston Pink Legacy” by its new owners. The diamond itself was reportedly found in a South African mine a century ago and was cut in 1920s. Graded “vivid”, the highest rating for a pink diamond‘s colour, the gem is internally pure with a rectangular cut, and mounted on a platinum ring.
This isn’t the first time Harry Winston has splashed out on such a rare diamond. The luxury jewellery maker, which Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group AG acquired in 2013, paid US$27 million for the 101.73 carat colourless Winston Legacy diamond at a Christie’s auction the same year.
Gemfields is raising awareness of responsible sourcing in the coloured gemstone industry.
