Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Hong Kong, scheduled for May 23, has one item that’s getting special attention: A large purple pink diamond, expected to sell for $25 million to $38 million, IDEX Online reports.
The “Sakura Diamond” is a 15.81-carat fancy vivid purple-pink, internally flawless type IIA gem. According to the auction house, “not more than 10% of pink diamonds weigh more than one-fifth of a carat”. Only 4% of pink diamonds possess a colour deep enough to qualify as “fancy vivid”. The 15.81-carat gem is the largest purple pink flawless diamond to ever appear for sale at auction. According to Christie’s, “‘Sakura’ is the Japanese word for the beautiful cherry blossoms that bloom for a very short period indicating the beginning of spring”.
Vickie Sek, chairman of the Department of Jewellery at Christie’s Asia Pacific, commented: “Christie’s has offered some of the largest and the rarest pink diamonds in history across our global salerooms, highlighted by The Winston Pink Legacy sold in Geneva in 2018 that still holds the auction record per carat for any pink diamond. This season we are very honoured to continue this fine tradition by presenting the Sakura Diamondin Hong Kong”.
