A purple-pink diamond weighing 8.41 carats was sold at a record price of $ 17.8 million for this category at Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong, nationaljeweler.com reports.
The maximum pre-auction estimate of the stone was $ 15.5 million. A
pear-shaped diamond of impeccable purity, a fantastically bright purple-pink color, was made in New York from a 19.54 carat diamond mined by De Beers. The degree of its purity is considered very rare for pink stones, and the color characteristics received the highest rating of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
The diamond was purchased by an unnamed private buyer from one of the Asian countries.
Prior to this, the record belonged to a fantasy purple-pink diamond weighing 5 carats - it was sold for $ 10.8 million in November 2009, also in Hong Kong.
In general, the autumn auction of "Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Autumn Sale" in Hong Kong raised $ 75.2 million, which is 67% of the potential value of all exhibited goods.
During the trades 69% of lots were sold (234 out of 339).