Hong Kong—The “Williamson Pink Star,” an 11.15-carat fancy vivid pink diamond, sold for more than $57 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Friday, exceeding expectations and shattering an auction record.
A private client from Boca Raton, Florida, bought the 11.15-carat internally flawless cushion-cut diamond, paying 453.2 million Hong Kong dollars ($57.7 million), well above its $21 million pre-sale estimate.
The buyer, who was not named by Sotheby’s, renamed the stone “The Rosenberg Williamson Pink Star.”
Mined at the Williamson mine in Tanzania and cut by Diacore, the Williamson Pink Star is the second largest IF fancy vivid pink diamond ever to appear at auction.
The largest is the 59.6-carat “CTF Pink Star.” Chow Tai Fook paid $71.2 million for the diamond in 2017, and it remains the most expensive gem or jewel ever sold at auction.
The Williamson Pink Star is now No. 2.
The diamond, which Sotheby’s Wenhao Yu described in an interview with National Jeweler as “a true piece of art from Mother Nature,” can also lay claim to another record.
With a per-carat sale price of roughly $5.2 million, it now holds the price-per-carat record for any diamond or gemstone sold at auction, effectively doubling the previous record of $2.7 million per carat set by the 18.96-carat “Winston Pink Legacy” at Christie’s in 2018.
“One of the purest, pinkest of diamonds, The Rosenberg Williamson Pink Star now takes its place in the pantheon of world record-breaking gemstones of the rarest kind, as the second highest price achieved for any jewel or gemstone sold at auction,” Yu said in a statement from Sotheby’s following the sale.
“The result today not only attests to the resilient demand for top quality diamonds in Asia, but a heightened awareness of the great scarcity of pink diamonds driven by an ever-limited supply.”
The 32.32-carat piece of rough that Diacore cut to become the "Williamson Pink Star," now known as "The Rosenberg Williamson Pink Star." Diacore bought the rough from mining company Petra in December 2021. (Photo Courtesy of Sotheby's)
Diacore crafted the diamond into a cushion-shaped fancy vivid pink stone weighing 11.15 carats. (Photo courtesy of Sotheby's)
Sotheby’s auction of the Williamson Pink Star will be followed closely by the sale of another pink diamond with record-setting potential.
On Nov. 8 in Geneva, Christie’s is set to sell the 18.18-carat pear-shaped fancy vivid diamond dubbed “The Fortune Pink.” Christie’s said it is the largest pear-shaped fancy vivid pink ever offered at auction.
Pre-sale estimates have the stone selling for $25 million-$35 million.
Article by:
