World Diamond Day: The Most Valuable Diamonds Ever Sold at Auction

In recognition of World Diamond Day, we reflect on some of the most extraordinary diamonds ever offered at auction stones that not only achieved record-breaking prices but also represent the pinnacle of rarity, craftsmanship, and natural beauty.

Established by the Natural Diamond Council, World Diamond Day celebrates the enduring significance of natural diamonds, highlighting their provenance, emotional value, and the moments they commemorate. It is also an opportunity to examine the exceptional stones that continue to define the upper limits of the global diamond market.

Below is a selection of some of the most important diamonds ever sold at auction.

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The CTF Pink Star

The CTF Pink Star remains the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction. This 59.60 carat oval-shaped, fancy vivid pink diamond achieved US$71.2 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2017.

Internally flawless and cut from a 132.5 carat rough discovered in 1999, the stone required over two years of meticulous planning and craftsmanship to realise its final form. It was acquired by Chow Tai Fook, setting a benchmark for coloured diamonds globally.

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The Williamson Pink Star

Achieving US$57.7 million in 2022, this 11.15 carat cushion-cut fancy vivid pink diamond is among the finest ever graded.

Originating from a 32.32 carat rough from Tanzania’s Williamson mine, it was classified as internally flawless by the Gemological Institute of America, placing it among the rarest gemstones known.

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The Oppenheimer Blue

This 14.62 carat emerald-cut vivid blue diamond sold for US$57.5 million at Christie’s Geneva in 2016.

Named after its former owner, Sir Philip Oppenheimer, the diamond drew intense global attention and was ultimately secured after a competitive international bidding process.

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The Blue Moon of Josephine

Cut from a 29.62 carat rough discovered in South Africa in 2014, this 12.03 carat fancy vivid blue diamond achieved US$48.4 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2015.

Purchased by Hong Kong collector Joseph Lau, it was renamed in honour of his daughter, further cementing its place in modern diamond history.

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The Graff Pink

This 24.78 carat fancy intense pink diamond sold for over US$46 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in 2010.

Acquired by Laurence Graff, the stone had not appeared on the market for more than 60 years prior to its sale, adding to its provenance and desirability.

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The Princie Diamond

Selling for US$39.3 million at Christie’s New York in 2013, the Princie Diamond carries remarkable historical significance.

Originating from India’s famed Golconda mines and once owned by the Nizams of Hyderabad, the diamond reflects the rich heritage of some of the world’s most celebrated diamond sources.

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The The Orange

Weighing 14.82 carats, this pear-shaped fancy vivid orange diamond remains the largest of its kind ever recorded.

It achieved US$35.5 million at Christie’s Geneva in 2013, significantly exceeding pre-sale expectations and reinforcing the rarity of orange diamonds.

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The Magnificent Oval Diamond

One of the largest D-colour flawless diamonds ever to appear at auction, this 118.28 carat oval-cut stone sold for US$30.8 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2013.

Its exceptional colour and clarity grading underscore the importance of strict laboratory standards in determining value—an area where independent certification remains critical.

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A Reflection on Rarity and Value

These diamonds are more than record-breaking assets—they are geological miracles shaped over billions of years and refined through exceptional human skill. Their value lies not only in carat weight or colour grading, but in rarity, provenance, and the precision of their cutting and certification.

As World Diamond Day highlights, natural diamonds continue to occupy a unique position in both the luxury and investment landscape. For laboratories such as the Diamond Certification Laboratory of Australia, the role of accurate and independent grading remains fundamental in preserving confidence and transparency within the global diamond market.

Source: DCLA

Christie’s to Auction $12M Pink Diamond Ring

 

A fancy-intense-pink diamond ring with a high estimate of CHF 11 million ($12 million) is set to feature in the Magnificent Jewels sale at Christie’s Geneva.

The oval-shaped, 15.23-carat piece, surrounded by diamonds, will be offered alongside the 100.94-carat Alrosa Spectacle diamond at the May 12 auction, Christie’s said last week.

Other notable items include a heart-shaped, 53.33-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity, type IIa diamond pendant with a high valuation of CHF 3 million ($3.3 million). A pear-shaped, 141.22-carat, fancy-brown-yellow diamond set in a diamond necklace is also on offer, carrying a high estimate of CHF 2.8 million ($3.1 million).

Meanwhile, a ring featuring a 47-carat, cushion-shaped old mine Colombian emerald surrounded by diamonds will go under the hammer. The jewel, which is from an important private collection, carries a high presale estimate of CHF 1.6 million ($1.7 million).

Christie’s will also sell a rectangular cut-cornered, 8.06-carat, fancy-purplish-pink, VVS2-clarity diamond ring bracketed by tapered baguette-cut diamonds. The piece, created by Boucheron, has a high valuation of CHF 1.5 million ($1.6 million).

Christie’s will preview the items from May 8. The sale will also feature an online component, which will be open for bidding between April 29 and May 10.

Source: DCLA

Christie’s to Auction $12M Pink Diamond Ring

 

A fancy-intense-pink diamond ring with a high estimate of CHF 11 million ($12 million) is set to feature in the Magnificent Jewels sale at Christie’s Geneva.

The oval-shaped, 15.23-carat piece, surrounded by diamonds, will be offered alongside the 100.94-carat Alrosa Spectacle diamond at the May 12 auction, Christie’s said last week.

Other notable items include a heart-shaped, 53.33-carat, D-color, VVS1-clarity, type IIa diamond pendant with a high valuation of CHF 3 million ($3.3 million). A pear-shaped, 141.22-carat, fancy-brown-yellow diamond set in a diamond necklace is also on offer, carrying a high estimate of CHF 2.8 million ($3.1 million).

Meanwhile, a ring featuring a 47-carat, cushion-shaped old mine Colombian emerald surrounded by diamonds will go under the hammer. The jewel, which is from an important private collection, carries a high presale estimate of CHF 1.6 million ($1.7 million).

Christie’s will also sell a rectangular cut-cornered, 8.06-carat, fancy-purplish-pink, VVS2-clarity diamond ring bracketed by tapered baguette-cut diamonds. The piece, created by Boucheron, has a high valuation of CHF 1.5 million ($1.6 million).

Christie’s will preview the items from May 8. The sale will also feature an online component, which will be open for bidding between April 29 and May 10.

Source: DCLA

Fancy Pink Diamonds Have Soared 116% in Value over the Past 10 Years

FANCY PINK DIAMONDS soared 116% in value over the past decade, outpacing blues (81%) and yellows (21%), according to a report by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), an Israel-based group that tracks diamond pricing data in the global trading centers of Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv.

While the overall index for fancy-color diamonds — across all their brilliant hues — increased by 77% from 2009 to 2019, it was the pink diamond category that stood out in the report.

Market watchers believe that the strength of the pink-diamond segment is attributed to the expected closure this year of the Argyle Diamond Mine, which has been operating in Western Australia for the past 37 years.

“Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine is the first and only ongoing source of rare pink diamonds in history,” said Rio Tinto Copper & Diamonds chief executive Arnaud Soirat in 2019. “With the lifecycle of this extraordinary mine approaching its end, we have seen, and continue to see, unstoppable demand for these truly limited-edition diamonds and strong value appreciation.”

Back in April of 2017, The Pink Star, a 59.6-carat, flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond, shattered the world record for the highest price ever paid for any gem at auction. The hammer price of $71.2 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale in Hong Kong easily surpassed the $57.5 million achieved in May of 2016 by the previous record-holder, the 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue diamond.

In November of 2018, the 18.96-carat Pink Legacy was purchased for $50.3 million at Christie’s Geneva, establishing a record per-carat price of $2.7 million for a fancy vivid pink diamond. The previous record holder was the 14.93-carat Pink Promise, which sold at auction for $2.2 million per carat in 2017.

FCRF advisory board member Jim Pounds explained why prices for fancy-color diamonds should remain strong: “From the mining perspective, we are currently experiencing a shortage in high-quality fancy-color rough and we therefore feel quite optimistic about the future.”

Source: DCLA

Fancy Pink Diamonds Have Soared 116% in Value over the Past 10 Years

FANCY PINK DIAMONDS soared 116% in value over the past decade, outpacing blues (81%) and yellows (21%), according to a report by the Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF), an Israel-based group that tracks diamond pricing data in the global trading centers of Hong Kong, New York and Tel Aviv.

While the overall index for fancy-color diamonds — across all their brilliant hues — increased by 77% from 2009 to 2019, it was the pink diamond category that stood out in the report.

Market watchers believe that the strength of the pink-diamond segment is attributed to the expected closure this year of the Argyle Diamond Mine, which has been operating in Western Australia for the past 37 years.

“Rio Tinto’s Argyle mine is the first and only ongoing source of rare pink diamonds in history,” said Rio Tinto Copper & Diamonds chief executive Arnaud Soirat in 2019. “With the lifecycle of this extraordinary mine approaching its end, we have seen, and continue to see, unstoppable demand for these truly limited-edition diamonds and strong value appreciation.”

Back in April of 2017, The Pink Star, a 59.6-carat, flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond, shattered the world record for the highest price ever paid for any gem at auction. The hammer price of $71.2 million at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite sale in Hong Kong easily surpassed the $57.5 million achieved in May of 2016 by the previous record-holder, the 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue diamond.

In November of 2018, the 18.96-carat Pink Legacy was purchased for $50.3 million at Christie’s Geneva, establishing a record per-carat price of $2.7 million for a fancy vivid pink diamond. The previous record holder was the 14.93-carat Pink Promise, which sold at auction for $2.2 million per carat in 2017.

FCRF advisory board member Jim Pounds explained why prices for fancy-color diamonds should remain strong: “From the mining perspective, we are currently experiencing a shortage in high-quality fancy-color rough and we therefore feel quite optimistic about the future.”

Source: DCLA

It’s The Right Time to Buy Natural Color Diamonds

It’s a good time to buy natural color diamonds. “The recent price declines in the white goods created an overall negative psychological effect on all diamonds. This is probably the reason we also witnessed a decline of 0.1% in the Fancy Color Index in Q2,” said Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) advisory board member Eden Rachminov.

According to the FCRF, yellow diamonds displayed a decline of 0.8% vis-a-vis the 0.2% increase in the second quarter of 2018. The prices of yellow diamonds declined by 0.8% overall in this quarter, primarily influenced by the 1–3 cts. categories, with the sharpest downturn of 2.7% in the 1 ct. category.

Blue diamonds showed a 0.3% decrease in the second quarter of 2019 compared to a 1.5% increase in the same quarter in 2018. Blue diamond prices decreased overall by 0.3%, affected mainly by the decline of 0.9% in the weight category of 8–10 cts.

Only pink diamonds showed an upturn of 0.4% in the second quarter of 2019, compared to a 0.5% decrease in the same quarter in 2018. The pink category continued to outperform all other categories, showing an increase of 0.4%. All fancy vivid pinks rose by 1.3%, with fancy vivid pinks of 2 and 3 cts. showing a rise in the second quarter of 2019, increasing by 2.8% and 2.6%, respectively.

Despite the temporary psychological negative effect at the moment, the long-term price trend for natural color diamonds looks positive. According to research by Knight Frank, within the last 10 years, the price of colored diamonds went up by 85%, outperforming some “classical” luxury investment objects such as art and watches. “It’s definitely a good time to buy colored diamonds now,” says Rachminov.

One of the opportunities to buy is the upcoming True Colors auction by Alrosa, the worlds’ largest diamond miner. The diamonds will be available for viewing during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair (Sept. 16–20). For the first time, the auction will be conducted via the Alrosa online platform diamonds.alrosa. The first True Colors auction was conducted in 2018. It finished with a total sale of 210 diamonds. The bidding was very active, and most of the lots were sold for well above their starting prices.

At this year’s auction, ALROSA is offering a comprehensive origin story for every stone for the first time. Thanks to ALROSA’s traceability programmes, the consumers can witness the diamonds’ fascinating journey from mine and market. “With a closed production cycle, the company can guarantee the origin of every polished diamond, especially since it has its own unique ID,” revealed the miner.

This year, the collection includes about 200 polished diamonds of various shapes and colors, and all have GIA certificates. Each of them is a masterpiece of diamond production created by skillful professionals who put hearts into their work, keep the traditions, and know what a real Russian cut is: Russian cut describes both the origin of the diamond and the location where it was cut.

Alrosa operates its own in-house cutting and polishing branch, Diamonds of Alrosa. Beginning in 2018, it concentrated on fancy colored and unique diamonds. Alrosa’s goal is to become the leader in the colored diamonds market. Being the largest miner, Alrosa expects to be the largest producer of colored diamonds by volume.

Source: DCLA

It’s The Right Time to Buy Natural Color Diamonds

It’s a good time to buy natural color diamonds. “The recent price declines in the white goods created an overall negative psychological effect on all diamonds. This is probably the reason we also witnessed a decline of 0.1% in the Fancy Color Index in Q2,” said Fancy Color Research Foundation (FCRF) advisory board member Eden Rachminov.

According to the FCRF, yellow diamonds displayed a decline of 0.8% vis-a-vis the 0.2% increase in the second quarter of 2018. The prices of yellow diamonds declined by 0.8% overall in this quarter, primarily influenced by the 1–3 cts. categories, with the sharpest downturn of 2.7% in the 1 ct. category.

Blue diamonds showed a 0.3% decrease in the second quarter of 2019 compared to a 1.5% increase in the same quarter in 2018. Blue diamond prices decreased overall by 0.3%, affected mainly by the decline of 0.9% in the weight category of 8–10 cts.

Only pink diamonds showed an upturn of 0.4% in the second quarter of 2019, compared to a 0.5% decrease in the same quarter in 2018. The pink category continued to outperform all other categories, showing an increase of 0.4%. All fancy vivid pinks rose by 1.3%, with fancy vivid pinks of 2 and 3 cts. showing a rise in the second quarter of 2019, increasing by 2.8% and 2.6%, respectively.

Despite the temporary psychological negative effect at the moment, the long-term price trend for natural color diamonds looks positive. According to research by Knight Frank, within the last 10 years, the price of colored diamonds went up by 85%, outperforming some “classical” luxury investment objects such as art and watches. “It’s definitely a good time to buy colored diamonds now,” says Rachminov.

One of the opportunities to buy is the upcoming True Colors auction by Alrosa, the worlds’ largest diamond miner. The diamonds will be available for viewing during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair (Sept. 16–20). For the first time, the auction will be conducted via the Alrosa online platform diamonds.alrosa. The first True Colors auction was conducted in 2018. It finished with a total sale of 210 diamonds. The bidding was very active, and most of the lots were sold for well above their starting prices.

At this year’s auction, ALROSA is offering a comprehensive origin story for every stone for the first time. Thanks to ALROSA’s traceability programmes, the consumers can witness the diamonds’ fascinating journey from mine and market. “With a closed production cycle, the company can guarantee the origin of every polished diamond, especially since it has its own unique ID,” revealed the miner.

This year, the collection includes about 200 polished diamonds of various shapes and colors, and all have GIA certificates. Each of them is a masterpiece of diamond production created by skillful professionals who put hearts into their work, keep the traditions, and know what a real Russian cut is: Russian cut describes both the origin of the diamond and the location where it was cut.

Alrosa operates its own in-house cutting and polishing branch, Diamonds of Alrosa. Beginning in 2018, it concentrated on fancy colored and unique diamonds. Alrosa’s goal is to become the leader in the colored diamonds market. Being the largest miner, Alrosa expects to be the largest producer of colored diamonds by volume.

Source: DCLA

$42M Expected For Pink Diamond At Christie’s Auction

An Oval Cut Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond  goes under the hammer at the Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale this month.
The 14.93 carat  Type IIa VVS1 clarity  Oval Diamond, named the Pink Promise is estimated to sell for between $28 million to $42 million USD.

Source: DCLA 

$42M Expected For Pink Diamond At Christie’s Auction

An Oval Cut Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond  goes under the hammer at the Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale this month.
The 14.93 carat  Type IIa VVS1 clarity  Oval Diamond, named the Pink Promise is estimated to sell for between $28 million to $42 million USD.

Source: DCLA