An exceptional marble the size of a marble, the largest pink rough diamond ever discovered in Russia, will be auctioned in Geneva on Nov. 11 by Sotheby’s, which estimates its value between $ 23 million and $ 38 million.
Named “The Spirit of the Rose” in honor of the famous creation “Le Specter de la rose” by the Russian Ballet, it is in its category (live purple-pink) the largest ever auctioned.
This “entirely pure” diamond is exceptional for its size – 14.83 carats – and its color – purple and pink, explains Benoit Repellin, sales director at Haute Joaillerie at Sotheby’s in Geneva, during the presentation of the stone to AFP.
Oval in shape, it measures 1.7 cm long and 1.27 cm wide. Its origin is also exceptional.
It was mined and cut from a 27.85-carat rough diamond – the largest pink rough diamond ever found in Russia.
Discovered in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in northeastern Siberia in 2017 by the Russian group Alrosa, it took a year of meticulous work to be cut until it reached its beautiful oval shape, preserving its bright color, says Repellin.
Its price is also impressive, estimated at between $ 23 million and $ 38 million. This represents up to $ 2.56 million per carat, a price very close to the record of $ 2.6 million per carat set two years ago in Geneva by Pink Legacy.
Pink diamonds are the rarest and most coveted on the world market.
The absolute record for the most expensive pink diamond ever sold at auction is held by CTF Star Pink, which sold for $ 71.2 million in 2017 in Hong Kong. And five of the ten most expensive diamonds ever auctioned are pink.
All of them were sold in the last decade, which has seen the prices of these natural treasures rise exponentially.
The sale of this diamond takes place a few days after the closure of the largest pink diamond mine in the world, located in Australia.
This deposit, which until recently supplied more than 90% of the world’s supply of pink diamonds, is actually depleted.
The closure of this mine (Argyle) should have a leverage effect on the price, interest and attraction of pink diamonds, according to Sotheby’s.
In addition, notes Benoît Repellin, “in these particular times”, of a crisis linked to the covid-19 pandemic, “there is an appetite to invest in exceptional stones”.
