An Exceptionally Rare 18.18-Carat Pink Diamond Is Expected to Sell for $35 Million

From Kate Middleton’s 18-carat sapphire to Ciara’s 16-carat diamond rock, royals and celebrities alike sport some of the most jaw-dropping center stones in their engagement rings. Now, for the right price, you also have a chance at owning a sparkler that’s just as show-stopping.

On November 8, 2022, a pear-shaped pink diamond flanked by two smaller diamonds will be auctioned off at a Christie’s sale of rare jewels in Geneva, Switzerland, Reuters reports. The price tag for such an incredible piece? The auction house estimates it could sell for nearly $35 million. The sparkling gem, called the Fortune Pink Diamond, is one of the largest pink diamonds ever put up on the auction block, the news agency noted. And the stone, which Max Fawcett, head of Christie’s jewelry department in Geneva, says clocks in at whopping 18.18 carats, is certainly worth the price tag if you can afford it. 

Anyone who is interested in bringing home a diamond this special will understand that the rosy rock won't come cheap, but for $35 million, the quality needs to be outstanding. That's absolutely the case here. “The color is exceptional,” Fawcett says. “It’s a true vivid pink and a clean stone. It really, really is a gem and something that we haven’t seen in a long time at Christie’s.”

That unique vivid coloring is really what makes this stone so special. According to the auction listing on Christie's, this stone is a true, pure pink. "While most pink diamonds exhibit a colour modifier like purple, orange, brown or grey, this pink diamond shows absolutely no trace of secondary colour, making it exceedingly rare and attractive," the listing reads. What's more, less than 10 percent of fancy vivid pink diamonds weigh more than one fifth of a carat, the listing explains, which means finding a stone that's this large and this colorful is an exceptionally rare occurrence.

The pink diamond is already a big hit with potential buyers. “We’ve had a huge amount of interest around the world already,” Fawcett told Reuters. Anyone with the right budget and interest will need to act fast.

The dazzling diamond does have some competition, though. If pink isn't your thing, there are plenty of other statement-making colored diamonds available for purchase—for a price. A 303-carat Golden Canary diamond, which is GIA-rated as internally flawless, will be auctioned off at Sotheby's this month. That stone is expected to sell for an estimated $15 million. And if pink diamonds are your thing, this isn't the only one you need to know about. Before the Fortune Pink Diamond went to auction, the largest rose-hued diamond ever sold at Christie’s was the 18.96-carat Winston Pink Legacy in 2018. Purchased at $50.4 million, the sparkler also set the world record for the most expensive pink diamond ever sold at an auction. 

So, will the Fortune Pink Diamond break that record? Only time will tell.