On 7 Oct evening, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, one of the world’s purest and most saturated pink diamonds sold for an outstanding HK$453.2 million / US$57.7 million in an unprecedented single-lot live auction.
The final price achieved (HK$453,223,000 / US$57,736,078) places the Williamson Pink Star as the second most valuable jewel or gemstone ever sold at auction, just behind the record-breaking CTF Pink Star, the 59.60-carat oval mixed-cut diamond, which sold at Sotheby’s for US$71.2 million in April 2017. The result also established a world record price per carat for any diamond or gemstone (US$5,178,124) which was previously held by The Blue Moon of Josephine, an Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Blue cushion-shaped 12.03 diamond sold by Sotheby’s Geneva in November 2015.
The 11.15 carat cushion-shaped Fancy Vivid Pink Internally Flawless diamond attracted enormous interest and a flurry of nearly 50 bids, taking it - over the course of a full 20 minute bidding battle -- from an opening bid of HK$130 million to well over HK$390 million, finally selling to an overseas representative in the room.
The US$5,178,124 per-carat price achieved for The Williamson Pink Star is almost double that of the previous per carat record for a pink diamond (US$2,656,909, achieved for The Winston Pink Legacy in 2018). More than that, the price achieved by the Williamson Pink Star now stands as a new per carat record for any diamond of any colour, handsomely exceeding the previous per carat record of US$4,028,941 (achieved for The Blue Moon of Josephine 2015.)
I feel extremely privileged that Diacore entrusted Sotheby’s with such an extraordinary beauty and for Sotheby’s Hong Kong to achieve a new world record. Following the success with De Beers Blue which achieved HK$450m this Spring, the Williamson Pink Star has not only placed a spotlight on Hong Kong as the international trading centre for exceptional diamonds and gemstones, but also reflects on Sotheby’s international outreach, as well as our leadership, expertise and dedication to nearly three decades of developing the jewellery market in Asia.
What an honour to have had the opportunity to handle a diamond of such breathtaking beauty. History was made in Hong Kong last night. The flawless clarity of the diamond was matched by the flawless auctioneering and our team’s execution - the Williamson Pink Star now takes its place in the pantheon of world record-breaking gemstones of the rarest kind - as the second highest price achieved for any jewel or gemstone sold at auction. I want to thank our consignors and buyers for their continuous support. Ultimately, what we have witnessed in the room reflects the appetite for rare and impeccable gemstones amongst global collectors.
Diacore is pleased to have the opportunity to work with Sotheby’s again in presenting such an extraordinary diamond at Sotheby’s Hong Kong sale. Not once, twice but three times, our partnership with the world’s leading auction house have led to another stunning world record moment last night after the success of the magnificent CTF Pink Star and De Beers Blue.
About the Diamond:
At 11.15 carats, The Williamson Pink Star is the second largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond to sell at auction - outsized only by the record-breaking CTF Pink Star, the 59.60-carat oval mixed-cut diamond, which sold at Sotheby’s for US$71.2 million in April 2017.
One of the oldest operating diamond mines in the world, the Williamson mine is famous for producing fine “bubblegum” pink diamonds, perhaps the most famous example of which is the Williamson Pink Diamond that belonged to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Yielded from a 32-carat, type IIa rough diamond at the Williamson Mine in Tanzania, the Williamson Pink Star was sourced and masterfully cut and polished into a dazzling cushion-cut by Diacore’s master craftsman, bringing out the diamond’s innermost beauty to full display with a masterpiece exceeding over 10 carats that is rich in colour and flawless clarity.
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