“The Spirit of the Rose,” a 14.83-carat fancy vivid purple-pink diamond set a world auction record price for a diamond with this rare color combination, fetching more than $26.6 million.
Bidding for the oval-shaped, internally flawless gem opened at 18 million Swiss francs and ended quickly three bids later at 21 million francs ($22.9 million), 50,000 francs shy of the low estimate. With the buyer’s premium the final price was 24.4 million Swiss francs ($26.6 million).
The gem was sold by Sotheby’s Geneva. It immediately followed the auction house’s Magnificent and Noble Jewels auction. Both sales were held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. The saleroom was void of buyers due to a new set of government restrictions to stop the spread of the coronavirus."
By Anthony DeMarco
Photo: Sothebys