The 37.30-carat "Raj Pink" diamond will be the top lot at Sotheby’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels sale on November 15 with a hefty estimate of $20 million - $30 million.
“The discovery of any pink diamond is exceptional, but The Raj Pink’s remarkable size and intensity of color places it in the rarefied company of the most important pink diamonds known,” said David Bennett, worldwide chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division.
According to Sotheby’s, the rough diamond that yielded The Raj Pink was studied for over a year after its discovery in 2015. It was then entrusted to a master cutter, who crafted it into a cushion-modified brilliant cut.
The diamond was named by its current owner, who requested anonymity. Its meaning is based on the Sanskrit word for king.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA), in its report characterized the diamond as an “astonishing stone,” describing its hue as “a very bright and ravishing fancy intense pink color,” adding, “For a diamond to display strong, unmodified pink color like that observed in The Raj Pink is rare, particularly at so considerable a weight.”
The discovery of a gem-quality pink diamond of any size is an extremely rare occurrence. Of all diamonds submitted to the GIA each year, fewer than 0.02% are predominantly pink, Sotheby’s said.
The current record holder for a fancy intense pink diamond is the 24.78-carat “Graff Pink,” which sold for more than $46.1 million at Sotheby’s Geneva, 2010.
“Only on the rarest occasions do diamonds with vibrant, shocking color like the Raj Pink’s emerge,” GIA said. “Only the most privileged and knowledgeable in the industry know of their existence. With an unmodified Fancy Intense Pink hue, substantial size and desirable clarity, the Raj Pink is certainly one of those gems that only few may have the honor of experiencing.”
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