Sotheby’s is Painted in Pink with a World Record Candidate

April 8th, 2014 by Noam Flint

It is no secret that over the last couple of years natural color diamonds are becoming the “hottest items” to watch for at the auctions. And it is no surprise that in the upcoming Sotheby’s magnificent jewels auction that will take place on April 29^th the trend continues.

As with Sotheby’s tradition, the auction itself is truly an exhibition of extra ordinary items including Jewels From The Estate of Eydie Gorme, a growing number of rare gems such as rubies, emeralds and sapphires (including a $5 Million sapphire and diamond ring!) and regular diamond jewelry that are anything but regular.

Not surprisingly, I chose to focus on the colored diamonds that will be presented. Here are my Hot Picks from low to high:

5 carat Vivid Yellow Diamond Ring

There seems to be something magical in 5 carat yellow diamonds, a golden number (literally in yellows). Even with their huge size (or more accurately weight) and even though 5 carat diamonds are out of the price scope and budget for most people, they are surprisingly searched and sought after.

This specific ring is even more extraordinary as it features a GIA certified 5.04 carat vivid yellow diamond with high clarity grading of vs1. Vivid yellow diamonds cost 3 times the price of fancy yellows and are accounted for less than 6% out of the yellow diamonds category. the ring is estimated at $180,000 which makes it $36,000 per carat – a very interesting price and I won’t be surprised if it sells for more!

Oval Vivid Yellow Diamond Earrings

Even though this pair of vivid yellow diamond earrings is exquisite, I chose to focus on it for educational purposes. Colored diamond earrings are problematic! The reason being that the diamonds are SO RARE that it extremely hard to find a matching pair. Keep in mind that matching a perfect pair means not only size but also exact color – and with the hundreds of colored diamonds colors it is not an easy task!

With that said, what makes this pair interesting is the fact that one of the diamond is a 2.68 carat Vivid Yellow Diamond while the other is 3.19 carat vivid yellow diamond. However, as can be seen from the images, this beautiful piece looks… beautiful. How is it possible? The reason is simple – it is about the size and not about the weight! Two 140lbs people can look very differently – one can be tall and slim while the other can be short and wide. Same with diamonds.

If you examine the diamonds MM measurements on their GIA certificates you’d find out that the 3.19ct is 11.37 x 7.45 x 5.08 mm and the 2.68ct is 11.26 x 7.32 x 4.92 mm – a very close match. The set is estimated at $200,000-$300,000

3.55ct Fancy Orangy Pink Diamond Ring

When examining such rare diamonds the ring actually becomes quite irrelevant. The diamond is graded by the GIA as Fancy Orangy Pink Internally Flawless. Orangy pink diamonds are very interesting and among my personal favorites. On one hand, being impure pink, even though it is a VERY expensive diamond estimated at over $350,000 ($100,000 per carat), it is a dramatic price reduction than an equivalent 3 carat pure fancy pink with internally flawless clarity grading which can reach the Million dollar price bar. On the other, the orangy tone actually makes the pink color more noticeable. Many aren’t aware but most pinks diamonds are actually very delicate. The weak touch of orange makes the color stand out.

6.84ct Round Vivid Yellow Diamond Ring

Colored diamonds are almost always cut into fancy shapes such as radiant, cushion and oval. The reason being that in colored diamonds the most important C is COLOR (price wise). By definition, fancy shapes can sustain and harness the color much better than round brilliant. It is generally said that whatever color intensity you have in round, it could have gotten 1 intensity better in cushion. This is why seeing a vivid yellow diamond which is the highest color intensity in a ROUND shaped diamond is extremely rare. Add the fact that it is nearly a 7 carats diamond with a high clarity of vvs2 and you’ll understand why the estimation is for $300,000 – $500,000 is very realistic ($45,000 – $75,000 per carat) – a lot more than a “regular” vivid yellow diamond.

1.50ct Deep Pink and Blue Diamond Ring

This interesting setting, combining a pink diamond with blue side-stones is emerging for the second time this year. On January it was introduced by The One and Only One with their Strawberry Pink Diamond Ring – a 2 carat Vivid Purplish Pink Diamond that was flanked by a matching pair of Fancy Blue Diamonds. This time, Sotheby’s auction off a 1.50 deep pink that is flanked by deep blue-green diamond and deep greenish blue diamond totaling at 0.48ct. The ring’s estimated price is at $500,000-$700,000.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, the auction’s highlight

15.23ct Fancy Intense Orangy Pink Diamond Ring

During the Christie’s HK magnificent jewels auction back in December 2013 the world record for intense orangy pink diamond was set when they sold a 12.85ct Intense Orangy pink Diamond for $4,950,720 – just above $385,000 per carat. Now, Sotheby’s are fighting back and trying to set a new world record showcasing a 15.23 carat Intense Orangy Pink with high vs2 clarity – price estimation… $6,000,000-$7,000,000 – which means $395,000-$460,000 per carat. Being the bigger diamond, if the price on the estimation is realized then Sotheby’s would own both records – the total price for such a diamond and the price per carat.

Do you think the record will be broken?