Graff Pink (diamond)
Encyclopedia
The Graff Pink, a rare 24.78 carat
pink diamond, once owned by American celebrity jeweller Harry Winston
, has been described as "one of the greatest diamond
s ever discovered". The diamond, mounted in a ring, was sold by Sotheby's
auctioneers in Geneva
, Switzerland
on 16 November 2010. Before its sale, the stone was expected to enter the list of the top ten most expensive diamonds in the world; on selling for US $46 million (£29 million) it became the most expensive single jewel ever sold at auction.
as "fancy intense pink"—a high colour rating for pink diamonds—and has been assessed as type IIa, placing it in the top two per cent of the world's diamonds.
The early history of the diamond is not clear. It was sold in the 1950s by American celebrity jeweller Harry Winston
to a private collector, who owned it up until 2010, when it was sold at auction. Despite its rarity, the diamond was un-named for all this time. The diamond is emerald cut with rounded corners, and is mounted on a silver ring with two flanking shield-shaped diamonds.
, who named it Graff Pink.
Carat (mass)
The carat is a unit of mass equal to 200 mg and is used for measuring gemstones and pearls.The current definition, sometimes known as the metric carat, was adopted in 1907 at the Fourth General Conference on Weights and Measures, and soon afterward in many countries around the world...
pink diamond, once owned by American celebrity jeweller Harry Winston
Harry Winston
Harry Winston was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade, and traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963.-History:...
, has been described as "one of the greatest diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s ever discovered". The diamond, mounted in a ring, was sold by Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
auctioneers in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
on 16 November 2010. Before its sale, the stone was expected to enter the list of the top ten most expensive diamonds in the world; on selling for US $46 million (£29 million) it became the most expensive single jewel ever sold at auction.
The diamond
The gem is classified by the Gemological Institute of AmericaGemological Institute of America
The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, is a nonprofit institute dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect all buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate...
as "fancy intense pink"—a high colour rating for pink diamonds—and has been assessed as type IIa, placing it in the top two per cent of the world's diamonds.
The early history of the diamond is not clear. It was sold in the 1950s by American celebrity jeweller Harry Winston
Harry Winston
Harry Winston was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade, and traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963.-History:...
to a private collector, who owned it up until 2010, when it was sold at auction. Despite its rarity, the diamond was un-named for all this time. The diamond is emerald cut with rounded corners, and is mounted on a silver ring with two flanking shield-shaped diamonds.
2010 auction
The pre-sale estimate for the diamond was US $27 million to US $38 million (£17 million to £24 million). The diamond was shown around the world prior to the auction in Geneva. It sold for US $46 million (£29 million), making it the most expensive single jewel ever sold at auction. It was bought by diamond dealer Laurence Graff, of Graff DiamondsGraff Diamonds
- History :It was founded in London by Laurence Graff in the 1960s and now has worldwide operations which range from cutting the raw stones and manufacture of jewelry to the final retailing from their 26 boutiques...
, who named it Graff Pink.