A number of important diamonds sold at auction this year, garnering some whopping prices. The trend was most noticeable in the first half of the year, with stellar performances from pinks, blues, yellows and whites. These are the top 10.
This cushion-cut, 11.15-carat, fancy-vivid-pink, internally flawless diamond ring raked in $57.7 million. Sotheby’s sold the stone at its Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong on October 7. The piece smashed its $21 million high estimate.
Sotheby’s achieved $57.5 million for this step-cut, 15.10-carat, fancy-vivid-blue, internally flawless diamond. The stone, the largest of its color to appear at auction, was expected to fetch up to $48 million at the April 26 Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels sale.
A pear-shaped, 18.18-carat, fancy-vivid-pink diamond, the largest of its cut and hue ever offered at auction, brought in $28.9 million. The stone, which Christie’s sold at its November 8 Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva, had a presale price range of $25.4 million to $35.6 million.
This stone made history as the largest white diamond ever to sell at auction, when it hit the block at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva May 11. The pear-shaped, 228.31-carat, G-color, VS1-clarity diamond raked in $21.9 million, within its presale estimate of $20 million to $30 million.
An emerald-cut, 103.49-carat, D-flawless, type IIa diamond was the star of the Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in New York on June 8. It went for $20 million, surpassing its $18 million upper price tag.
This cushion-shaped, 205.07-carat, fancy-intense-yellow diamond fetched $14.3 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels in Geneva on May 11. A portion of the proceeds from the sale were donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Sotheby’s sold this pear-shaped, 101.41-carat, D-color, internally flawless diamond at its June 16 New York Magnificent Jewels sale. The purchaser, who bought it for $13 million, renamed it the Claire G diamond, after his wife. The diamond was estimated to fetch in excess of $10 million.
This pear-shaped, 303.10-carat, fancy-deep-brownish-yellow diamond realized $12.4 million at the December 7 Magnificent Jewels sale in New York. Sotheby’s believed the stone, which became the third most valuable yellow diamond ever sold at auction, would sell for more than $15 million.
A pear modified brilliant-cut, 31.62-carat, fancy-blue, potentially internally flawless diamond pendant went for $11.8 million at the Christie’s December 6 Magnificent Jewels sale in New York. The final price was within its presale price range of $10 million to $15 million.
Christie’s sold this pear-shaped, 8.82-carat, fancy-intense-purple-pink, potentially internally flawless diamond ring at its Magnificent Jewels sale in New York on April 13. The stone garnered $6.8 million, exceeding its $6 million high estimate.
Main image: The Williamson Pink Star. (Sotheby’s)
