Rare diamonds and coloured gems have been soaring in price for years, and especially since the Argyle Diamond Mine closed – what an investment (in hindsight, of course)!
Six pink and blue diamonds have made over US$40 million at jewellery auctions:
The Pink Star
The vivid Pink Star, almost 60 carats, about the size of a large oval strawberry, and internally flawless, was sold for US$71.2 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2017.
The Oppenheimer Blue
At almost 16 carats, The Oppenheimer Blue is the largest fancy vivid blue diamond to be sold at auction. The rectangular stone was named after Sir Philip Oppenheimer, the former chairman of De Beers, and sold for US$57.5 million by Christie’s Geneva in May 2016.
The Memory of Autumn Leaves and the Dream of Autumn Leaves
The Memory of Autumn Leaves and the Dream of Autumn Leaves are the most expensive earrings ever to sell at auction. Pear shapes, one is a 14.54-carat fancy vivid blue diamond and other is a 16-carat fancy intense pink. They were sold for US$57.4 million by Sotheby’s Geneva in May 2017.
The Winston Pink Legacy
Mined in South Africa and cut in 1920, this rectangular pink diamond belonged to the Oppenheimer family who controlled De Beers, but Harry Winston paid US$50.7 million for it at Christie’s Geneva in November 2018, and has renamed it The Winston Pink Legacy.
The Blue Moon of Josephine
Having bought a 16.8-carat pink diamond for US$28.5 million at Christie’s the day before for his seven-year-old daughter Josephine, Joseph Lau of Hong Kong paid US$48.4 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in November 2015 for a 12.03-carat cushion-cut internally flawless fancy vivid blue diamond, now called The Blue Moon of Josephine.
The Graff Pink
In November 2010, Laurence Graff paid US$46.1 million at Sotheby’s Geneva for a 24.78-carat fancy intense pink emerald-cut diamond that once belonged to Harry Winston, and renamed it the Graff Pink.
