An extremely rare, purple-pink diamond mined in Russia, which Sotheby’s described as “a true wonder of nature”, sold for $26.6million (£20.3m) on Wednesday.
World renowned auction house Sotheby’s had estimated that the flawless oval gem, “The Spirit of the Rose,” could fetch $23millon-$38 million at the Geneva sale.
The 27.85 carat gem was the the biggest raw stone of the colour ever found in Russia.
It then took a year to painstakingly cut the finished diamond to shape and retain its vivid colour. Sotheby’s described the flawless gem as ‘a true wonder of nature’.
The pink diamond was sold to a telephone bidder, who chose to remain anonymous.
In recent years, naturally colored diamonds have been highly coveted by the world’s richest. Unlike white diamonds, these stones possess a specific lattice structure that refracts light to produce the effect of color.
Earlier this month, western Australia’s Argyle mine, which accounted for the world’s largest supply of pink diamonds, stopped production due to depletion.