Pink diamond sells for over $26 mln at auction
An extremely rare, purple-pink diamond sold at a Swiss auction on Wednesday for over $26 million dollars.
That's according to Sotheby's, the auction house behind the sale.
Sotheby's said the almost 15-carat diamond was bought by a telephone bidder who chose to remain anonymous.
The auction house described the gem as "a true wonder of nature" and named it "The Spirit of the Rose," named after a famous Ballets Russes performance.
Benoit Repellin led the auction in Geneva:
"The Spirit of the Rose is the largest fancy vivid purple pink diamond ever to appear at auction, and one of the largest internally flawless fancy vivid purple pink diamond ever graded by the GIA the Gemological Institute of America."
Sotheby's says it was cut in 2017 from the largest pink crystal ever found in Russia.
Since then, the diamond has been shown in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei.
Colored stones, particularly pink ones, have been prized by the ultra-wealthy in recent years.
The particular lattice structure of such diamonds refracts light to produce pink, rather than white, stones.
The largest supply of pink diamonds can be found in a mine in western Australia, which was closed last week due to excessive mining.
