MEDIA ALERT | 24 SEPTEMBER 2015 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IN THE PINK

CHRISTIE’S TO OFFER THE LARGEST CUSHION-SHAPED FANCY VIVID PINK DIAMOND EVER TO COME TO AUCTION

GLOBAL TOUR STARTS OCTOBER 2 AT CHRISTIE’S HONG KONG

AUCTION NOVEMBER 10 AT CHRISTIE’S GENEVA

ESTIMATE: US$23-28 MILLION

Geneva/New York/London/Hong Kong - Christie’s International, the global auction leader, announces the largest cushion-shaped Fancy Vivid Pink diamond to be offered for sale at auction, continuing the firm’s long tradition of presenting extraordinary jewels to the global market. The 16.08 carat stone is estimated at US$23-28 million and will be featured in Christie’s flagship Magnificent Jewels auction on November 10, 2015 in Geneva.

The diamond is set as a ring, with a double row of pavé-set white diamonds which surround and highlight the main stone, with a third row of small pink diamonds underneath. The band is comprised of small circular-cut white diamonds set in platinum.

October marks the start of an international tour of the diamond to Christie’s locations around the world, starting with Hong Kong, and continuing to New York and London prior to the exhibition and sale in Geneva (see tour calendar below).

In the realm of natural colored diamonds, those of a distinct pink hue are the most sought-after among gem connoisseurs. While most pink diamonds exhibit a color modifier like purple, orange, brown or grey, the 16.08 carat diamond to be offered at Christie’s shows absolutely no trace of a secondary color, making it exceedingly rare and attractive.  In addition the 16.08 carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond classifies as a Type IIa diamond, which contains little if any nitrogen and accounts for less than 2 percent of all gem diamonds. The stone’s even color distribution, combined with a balanced saturation and tone and straight pink hue, qualify the 16.08 carat pink for the coveted ‘Fancy Vivid’ color grading from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). That only one in one hundred thousand diamonds possesses a color deep enough to qualify as ‘Fancy’ underscores its absolute rarity.

In the Fancy Vivid pink range, diamonds of even five or six carats are rarely encountered in the sale room and those over ten carats are virtually unheard of.  In fact, fewer than 10 percent of pink diamonds weigh more than one-fifth of a carat. In almost 250 years of auction history, only three pure vivid pink diamonds of over ten carats have appeared for sale.

“As large and rare colored diamonds of this caliber become increasingly hard to locate, this 16.08 carat Fancy Vivid pink diamond comes to market at a time when great gems are mirroring prices achieved for masterpieces in the world of fine art. Collectors are looking to jewels as savvy investments that are both beautiful and can appreciate considerably in value over a relatively short period of time,” noted Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewellery.

An historic level was reached in the international diamond market in December  2009 when Christie’s Hong Kong sold The Vivid Pink, a cushion-shaped fancy vivid pink diamond of 5.00 carats for U$2,155,332 per carat, setting a new per-carat record price for any pink diamond.  Since that time, per-carat prices for top-quality pink diamonds have continued on a steady upward climb. Among the major pink diamonds that have set new auction benchmarks in price over the last five years, Christie’s has sold The ‘Princie ‘Diamond, a cushion-shaped fancy intense pink diamond of 34.65 carats for $39.3 million; The ‘Perfect Pink’, a rectangular-cut fancy intense pink diamond of 14.23 carats for $23.2 million; and The ‘Martian Pink’, a brilliant-cut fancy intense pink diamond ring of 12.04 carats by Harry Winston for $17.4 million. Earlier this year, a rectangular-cut fancy intense pink diamond ring of 9.07 carats sold for $12.6 million at Christie’s Hong Kong.

Some of the world’s most famous and historic gems are pink diamonds, including the ‘Darya-i-Nur’ of approximately 182 carats, part of the Iranian Crown Jewels; the ‘Hortensia’ of 20.53 carats, formerly part of the Crown Jewels of France and today to be admired at the Louvre; and the ‘Williamson’ of 23.60 carats, belonging to Her Majesty the Queen of England.

Global Tour Dates and Locations

Christie’s Hong Kong, 22nd Floor, Alexandra House, 18 Chater Road Central 
2 October 10am – 5:30pm

3 October 11am – 5pm

4 October 11am – 5:30pm  

Christie’s New York, 20 Rockefeller Plaza

16 October 12pm – 6pm

17 October 10am– 6pm

18 October 10am – 6pm

19 October 10am – 5pm

Christie’s London, King Street

26 October 2pm – 6pm

27 October 2pm – 6pm

Christie’s Geneva, Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues

6 November 10am – 6pm

7 November 10am – 6pm

8 November 10am – 6pm

9 November 10am – 6pm

10 November 10am – 12pm

Auction: Tuesday, 10 November 2015 at 7:30pm GMT

Notes to editors:

Explanation of the color grading system: The GIA describes color in terms of hue (the color), tone (relative lightness or darkness), and saturation (intensity). Hue (like pink) is classified by a “Fancy-grade” term (Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep, Fancy Vivid or Fancy Dark) which describes the effect of both tone and saturation.

PRESS CONTACTS: 

Alexandra Kindermann (Europe) I +41 44 268 1019 I akindermann@christies.com

Erin McAndrew (Americas) I +1 212 636-2680 I emcandrew@christies.com

Lavina Chan (Asia) I +852 2978 9919 I lavinachan@christies.com

About Christie’s

Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had global auction and private sales in the first half of 2015 that totalled £2.9 billion / $4.5 billion. In 2014, Christie’s had global auction and private sales that totalled £5.1 billion/$8.4 billion, making it the highest annual total in Christie’s history. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's has since conducted the greatest and most celebrated auctions through the centuries providing a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie’s offers around 450 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery.

Christie’s has a global presence with 54 offices in 32 countries and 12 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Mumbai. More recently, Christie’s has led the market with expanded initiatives in growth markets such as Russia, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, with successful sales and exhibitions in Beijing, Mumbai and Dubai.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and do not reflect costs, financing fees or application of buyer’s or seller’s credits.

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