Geneva, 7 April 2016 - Sotheby’s Spring sale of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels will be led by the spectacular “Unique Pink”, a supremely rare and exceptional Fancy Vivid Pink diamond weighing 15.38 carats. In addition to receiving the highest possible colour grading for a pink diamond from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the “Unique Pink” has been found to be Type IIa, displaying “exceedingly pure structure”. The stone’s exquisite pear shape and brilliant cut accentuate its exceptional saturation, placing it in a rarefied category even among the world’s most beautiful diamonds. The “Unique Pink” will be offered at auction in Geneva on 17 May with a pre-sale estimate of $28-38 million (CHF 27.2m – 36.9m).

Announcing the sale of the “Unique Pink”, David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s International Jewellery Division, commented: “It is difficult to imagine a diamond that better illustrates the term Vivid Pink than this outstanding stone. The colour is simply astonishing and, for its size, it is in my experience truly unique.”

“THE DISTINCTION OF A TRULY EXCEPTIONAL GEM” GIA
The rough diamond which yielded the “Unique Pink” was cut and polished by Cora International, known worldwide for rare and unique diamonds of large sizes and vivid fancy colours. According to the GIA, “Although nature is largely to thank for the Unique Pink’s most striking and unusual attributes, the work of its cutter must not go unnoticed. The task of polishing the valuable rough crystal into the sparkling gem it is today required tremendous skill.”

The discovery of any gem-quality pink diamond is extremely rare. Of all diamonds submitted to the GIA each year, no more than 3% are classified as coloured diamonds, and less than 5% of those coloured diamonds are predominantly pink. Upon inspection by the institute, the hue, tone and saturation of the “Unique Pink” was determined to be Fancy Vivid Pink – the strongest saturation possible and described as “absolutely mesmerizing”.

“It is exceptionally rare for any natural diamond to reveal Fancy Vivid Pink color, but for one of 15.38 carats to exhibit such tone and saturation is astonishing.” GIA Monograph written for the “Unique Pink”, 2016

Record-breaking Coloured Diamonds at Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s Currently Holds Auction Records for Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green and Colourless Diamonds:

World Auction Record & Record Price-per-carat for any Diamond or Gemstone The Blue Moon of Josephine 12.03-carat Cushion-Shaped Fancy Internally Flawless Vivid Blue Diamond Sotheby’s Geneva, November 2015 Sold for US$48,468,158 (US$4,028,941 per carat)

World Auction Record for any Pink Diamond The Graff Pink 24.78-carat Emerald-cut Fancy Intense Pink Diamond Sotheby’s Geneva, November 2010 Sold for US$46,158,674 (US$1,862,739 per carat)

World Auction Record for any Colourless Diamond 118.28-carat Oval-shaped D colour Flawless Type IIa Diamond Sotheby’s Hong Kong, October 2013 Sold for US$30,600,000 (US$258,708 per carat)

World Auction Record for any Yellow Diamond The Graff Vivid Yellow Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond weighing 100.09 carats, VS2 Clarity Sotheby’s Geneva, May 2014 Sold for US$16,347,847 (US$163,331 per carat)

World Auction Record Price-per-carat for any Green Diamond Cushion Modified Brilliant-Cut Vivid Green Diamond weighing 2.52 Carats Sotheby’s Geneva, November 2009 Sold for US$3,078,914 (US$1,221,791 per carat)

Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Sales Exceed High Estimate, Totalling HK$3.1 Billion (US$405.5 million)