15.81 carat diamond to go under the hammer at Christies auction

A 15.81 carat Sakura diamond, the largest of its kind, is slated to feature and go under the hammer at Christie’s upcoming Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels Live Auction on May 23, PTI reported quoting the auction house on Tuesday. The “fancy vivid purple-pink internally flawless” diamond is estimated at $25 to $38 million.

According to Christie’s, the diamond is exceptionally rare, extraordinarily optically transparent, brilliantly coloured, and is enormous in size that makes it an immensely important, and an eternal masterpiece of nature.

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“As fewer than 10% of pink diamonds weigh more than one-fifth of a carat, this fancy vivid purple-pink diamond is of an unprecedented size of 15.81 carats, which is the largest of its kind (Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink) to be offered at any auction,” a Christie’s statement noted.

It added that the lot fell in the exclusive group of the 4% of pink diamonds that possess a colour deep enough to qualify as “fancy vivid”.

“This magnificent gem is graded ‘fancy vivid’ for its perfect display of strong saturation and remarkable pink hue with a secondary colour of purple, resembling the fascinating colour of cherry blossoms — appropriately coinciding with spring,” the auction house said.

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Christie’s has previously offered on auction several of the largest and the rarest pink diamonds, including 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 Diamond’ in Hong Kong.”

“This exceptionally rare and magnificent wonder of nature represents a unique expression of identity and mesmerising beauty through its enthralling purple pink hue, that will undoubtedly capture the hearts of discerning connoisseurs and collectors worldwide,” said Vickie Sek, Chairman, Department of Jewellery, Christie’s Asia Pacific.