16 carats, $28 Million – World’s Most Expensive Pink Diamond Coming to the Auction

September 27th, 2015 by Noam Flint

6 weeks from now, on November 10th, Christie’s Geneva magnificent jewels auction will feature one of the most impressive diamonds that the world has ever seen – a 16.08 carat Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond that has the estimated price tag of $28 Million Dollars – making it a strong nominee to becoming a record breaking diamond.

About the Pink Diamond

Graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the diamond weighs 16.08 carats, shaped as cushion cut which is ideal for colored diamonds and with a color grading of pure Fancy Vivid Pink which is the highest color grading a pink diamond can earn – and obviously as such – the most expensive.

In addition, it was also classified as a Type IIa diamond – the rarest of the diamond types - diamonds of this type (such as the Hope Diamond and the Graff Pink) contain very little nitrogen or none at all within the crystal lattice and the result is that light is easily able to pass through and bounce back at the beholder’s eye in an even more stunning appearance.

The pink gem is mounted onto a platinum ring and is surrounded with a double halo of white diamonds in pave’ setting and a third row of melee pink diamonds underneath (melee = small) – giving the diamond’s color an even stronger accent. The band itself also features small white diamonds to add to the luxurious appeal.

What Makes the Pink Diamond so Expensive

We all know that pink diamonds are extremely rare. But how rare…?
The ratio between natural colored diamonds to white diamonds is said to be 1:10,000. Within the niche of colored diamonds, pink diamonds are among the rarest.

The result is that fancy pink diamonds are 1:100,000 of diamonds.
Add the fact that less than 10% of pink diamonds weigh more than 0.20 carats and that this one is a pure vivid pink weighing over 10 carats (more than 16 carats in this case) and you’ll get a diamond that is practically seen once in a lifetime – making it basically priceless and extremely sought after by those who wish to invest in colored diamonds (and can afford it).

In fact, according to Christies:

In almost 250 years of auction history, only three pure vivid pink diamonds of over ten carats have appeared for sale.

Will it become World’s Most Expensive Pink Diamond

The time is right for the record to be broken.

As large and rare colored diamonds of this caliber become increasingly hard to locate, this 16.08 carat Fancy Vivid pink diamond comes to market at a time when great gems are mirroring prices achieved for masterpieces in the world of fine art. Collectors are looking to jewels as savvy investments that are both beautiful and can appreciate considerably in value over a relatively short period of time,’ noted Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewellery.

The previous record price per carat is held by a 5 carats vivid pink diamond that was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2009 – The diamond was sold for $2,155,332 per carat.

A price per carat tag that if matched will get the 16.08 carat diamond sold for nearly $35 Million Dollars – more than the estimate – but it won’t be the first time.

All that is left is to wait and see… What is your guess?