Pink diamond gets R720m

– The “Pink Legacy”, a diamond weighing just under 19 carats, fetched a record 50.375 million Swiss francs (R720 million), purchased by US-based luxury jeweller Harry Winston, Christie’s said.

Harry Winston, owned by Swatch, whose CEO is Nayla Hayek, daughter of the late Swatch founder Nicolas Hayek, promptly renamed it “The Winston Pink Legacy”, adding it to its collection of rare jewels, the auction house said.

The Geneva jewellery sale netted $110 million, with 86% of lots finding new owners, including 11 that brought more than $1 million, Francois Curiel, chair of Christie’s luxury group said.

“The Pink Legacy brought this extremely high price, so $2.6 million per carat, which is a world record price for a pink diamond,” Curiel said. “This is the Leonardo Da Vinci of diamonds, I don’t think there is anything better.”

Graded “vivid”, the highest rating for a pink diamond’s colour, the gem is internally pure with a rectangular cut and mounted on a platinum ring. – Reuters

Geneva