Billed as the most significant round brilliant internally flawless fancy intense pink diamond to be offered at auction since 2012, the 10.20-carat "Eden Rose” lived up to its pre-sale fanfare last week when it was sold to an anonymous buyer for $13.3 million at Christie's New York. The winning bid surpassed the auction house's pre-sale high estimate by $1.3 million.
In the lead-up to the sale, Christie's had noted that the round brilliant-cut diamond stood out due to the purity of its pink hue and complete absence of any secondary color. The gem also boasted a Type IIa classification, the highest for chemical purity and optical transparency.
Christie's International Head of Jewelry Rahul Kadakia noted in a press release that The Eden Rose "surpassed all expectations" and that collectors paid "strong prices for rare colored gemstones and natural pearls in particular.” It was the first time The Eden Rose was ever offered for sale at auction.
The pink diamond was presented at auction set in a white and rose gold ring, accented with eight pear brilliant-cut diamonds ranging in size from 0.73 to 3.11 carats and two marquise brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 1.02 and 2.24 carats.
Overall, the sale achieved a total of $44.4 million, with 90% of the 144 lots sold. The auction featured a dazzling array of colored diamonds, colored gemstones and natural pearls, as well as a stunning assemblage of jewelry from the world's most important design houses.
The auction saw strong global participation, with 51% of the bids representing the Americas, 24% Europe and 26% from Asia Pacific and Middle East.
Other top performers included a pendant necklace highlighted by an 84.05-carat fancy intense yellow cushion modified brilliant-cut diamond. The platinum and yellow gold necklace carried a pre-sale high estimate of $2 million and eventually sold for $2.17 million. The piece included round, pear and marquise brilliant-cut accent diamonds ranging in size from 0.70 carats to 1.02 carats.
The third-highest-ticket item at the New York sale was a multi-colored diamond ring, featuring a fancy vivid blue heart modified brilliant-cut diamond of 2.28 carats, bordered by smaller round yellow and white diamonds, set in platinum. The blue diamond has a VVS1 clarity and is potentially flawless. The ring sold for $2.11 million, right in the middle of its pre-sale estimated price range of $1.6 million to $2.6 million.
Credits: Images courtesy of Christie's.