A rare pink diamond has sold for $8 million at auction.
Recovered from the banks of the middle Orange River in South Africa, the diamond was sold by Pioneer Diamond Tender House in Johannesburg.
According to one of Pioneer Diamond Tender House’s Geologists, Lyndon de Meillon, the stone – which has an unusual depth of colour and exceptional clarity – is believed to have originated in the Lesotho kimberlites 90 million years ago.
Leading Diamond Expert, Maxwell Stone, from UK retailer Steven Stone has revealed everything you need to know about the stone.
Named the Protea Pink, the 29.52 pink diamond is named after South Africa’s national flower, which is renowned for its bold colour.
Found in a small number of diamond mines throughout the world, pink diamonds are one of the rarest coloured diamonds that exist – in fact, out of every million gems excavated, only about 0.01% are pink diamonds.
The Protea Pink is a Type 2 diamond. Considered purest of the pure, type 2 diamonds have no measurable nitrogen impurities. Rare in nature, just 2% of the world’s diamonds are type 2.
The rough diamond sold for $271,307 per carat on Friday 30th June 2023, which Pioneer Diamond Tender House says is the highest price paid for any stone they’ve sold.
“Recovered from the banks of the middle Orange River in South Africa, the Protea Pink is a 29.52 pink diamond that’s named after South Africa’s national flower, which is renowned for its bold colour.
Found in a small number of diamond mines throughout the world, pink diamonds are one of the rarest coloured diamonds that exist and they’re exceedingly valuable due to this – the price can be much more than the price of a traditional white diamond. Typical white diamonds are usually pricier the more they lack colour, but with pink diamonds, the more vivid the colour, the more expensive the stone usually is.
The Protea Pink is a Type 2 diamond, which means that it has no measurable nitrogen impurities. Rare in nature, just 2% of the world’s diamonds are type 2.“
maxwell stone, leading diamond expert, steven stone
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