A rare pink diamond known for its oval shape and vividly pink hue became the most expensive gemstone ever sold at an auction on Tuesday, fetching a record sale price of $71.2 million in Hong Kong.
The 59.6-carat “Pink Star” was sold to the highest bidder at the Sotheby's auction at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. It surpassed the current world record holder,“Oppenheimer Blue,” a 14.6-carat diamond sold for $57.5 million at a Sotheby's auction in May in Geneva.
The sale also eclipsed the current record holder for a pink diamond sold at auction. “Graff Pink,” weighing nearly 25 carats, was sold at Sotheby's in Geneva in 2010 for $46.2 million.
“Pink Star's buyer is Hong Kong-based jewelry empire Chow Tai Fook, which outbid two other telephone buyers. Founded in 1929, the family-owned conglomerate owns a chain of jewelry shops in China and is one of the world's largest jewelers. Last month, it acquired Alinta Energy Holdings, an Australia-based energy company, for $3.1 billion, Bloomberg reported. Chow Tai Fook also made Forbes's list of Asia's Fab 50 companies in 2014.
The 59.6-carat “Pink Star” was sold to the highest bidder at the Sotheby's auction at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center. It surpassed the current world record holder,“Oppenheimer Blue,” a 14.6-carat diamond sold for $57.5 million at a Sotheby's auction in May in Geneva.
The sale also eclipsed the current record holder for a pink diamond sold at auction. “Graff Pink,” weighing nearly 25 carats, was sold at Sotheby's in Geneva in 2010 for $46.2 million.
“Pink Star's buyer is Hong Kong-based jewelry empire Chow Tai Fook, which outbid two other telephone buyers. Founded in 1929, the family-owned conglomerate owns a chain of jewelry shops in China and is one of the world's largest jewelers. Last month, it acquired Alinta Energy Holdings, an Australia-based energy company, for $3.1 billion, Bloomberg reported. Chow Tai Fook also made Forbes's list of Asia's Fab 50 companies in 2014.
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