An extremely rare pink diamond is expected to make up to $1.8 million (£1.35 million) when it comes up for sale at Heritage Auctions on December 3.
Set in an 18-carat white and rose gold ring, the 13mm oval-shaped stone is known as The Angelina and weighs 6.17 carats. It is surrounded in the setting by full-cut near colourless diamonds.
Fewer than 0.01% of all diamonds mined annually display a natural pink colour, and of those almost none is greater than 5 carats.
What also helps put this one at the pinnacle of rarity is its richly saturated tone – gems like this are so scarce that few ever have the privilege to witness one.
“Natural pink diamonds are formed deep within the earth’s crust, where extreme heat and pressure alter their molecular structure,” said Heritage’s Director of Fine Jewelry, Gina D’Onofrio.
“This rare ‘deformation’ bends light in a way that produces their signature pink hue. Most natural pinks that survive are small, heavily included, or fractured—making the 6.17-carat, VVS2 Fancy Pink Angelina an extraordinary accident of nature.”
VVS2 is the second highest purity level achievable for diamonds and is only given to those with minute inclusions invisible to the naked eye but detectable under 10x magnification.
“Stones of this calibre are seldom seen at auction, so when they are they attract huge demand, with the Fancy Pink diamonds outpacing all other fancy colour categories for their investment potential,” said Gina D’Onofrio.
