A rare 59.6 carat Pink Star diamond has been sold in Hong Kong to jewelry retailer Chow Tai Fook for $71.2 million, setting a new world record for any gemstone at auction.
The oval-shaped stone was bought after just five minutes’ bidding included three phone bidders, Sotheby’s said Tuesday.
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The exceptional stone which was mined by De Beers in Botswana, is the largest pink diamond ever found in the history. The cut was made by Steinmetz Diamonds, owned by Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz over a period of nearly two years.
The Pink Star was sought after by three clients before selling to a bidder on the phone with our Asia CEO Kevin Ching pic.twitter.com/504CuIpbtF
— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) April 4, 2017
A process in which the 132.50 carat rough was cast in epoxy more than 50 times in order to create models upon which the design team could experiment with different cuts -it was transformed into this spectacular 59.60 carat – the largest internally flawless or flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded.
The stone was then worn by Danish model Helena Christensen around her neck to exhibit it to the public for the first time in Monaco in 2003.
Previous records set in stone set in June 2016.
