A cut above the rest: Christie’s giant pink diamond

November 13, 2018 - An incredibly rare pink diamond weighing in at almost 19 carats fetched a world record price of $50 million when it was auctioned by Christie’s in Geneva. The “Pink Legacy” diamond was bought by U.S. brand Harry Winston, for a price equalling around $2.6m per carat.

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The rectangular cut Pink Legacy diamond carries a “vivid” rating, the highest there is for a diamond’s colour, and weighs 18.96 carats, making it the largest fancy vivid pink diamond Christie’s had ever auctioned.

Only four vivid pink diamonds over 10 carats have been offered for auction before, with a record price set in November 2017 when Christie’s Hong Kong sold “The Pink Promise” diamond (just under 15 carats) for more than $32 million.

The Pink Legacy once belonged to the Oppenheimers – the family who built De Beers into the world’s biggest diamond trader.