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The World’s Largest Pink Diamond Sold for a Record-Breaking $71.2 million

Date April 5, 2017

The dazzling “Pink Star” diamond sold for a staggering $71.2 million (U.S.) in Hong Kong on Tuesday. The gavel fell for the deep-pocketed Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook after an intense bidding war between three buyers. The 59.6 carat stone, the largest flawless fancy pink diamond ever evaluated by the Gemological Institute of America, now claims the title of the most expensive diamond or jewel ever sold at auction.

This sale comes only a couple of months after famed auction house Sotheby’s in Hong Kong announced the sale of the De Beers Millennium Jewel 4, the world’s largest “oval fancy vivid blue” diamond, and the 14.62 carat Oppenheimer Blue diamond, once owned by the chairman of DeBeers, which was purchased for a cool $57 million in a Christie’s auction in Geneva. Our pulses quickened just thinking of what these colossal stunners would look like perched atop our hands.

Other recent gem sales include the 12.03-carat “Blue Moon” diamond which sold for $48.4 million, and the 16.08-carat pink diamond that rang in at $28.5 million. Coincidentally, both were purchased a day apart by a Hong Kong billionaire for his 7-year-old daughter Josephine. Talk about a lucky little lady.

Even if no one exists to make this kind of diamond-filled dream come true for the rest of us, there’s plenty reason to indulge in a whole lotta eye candy. Slip on your sunglasses (you may be blinded by the bling) to see some of the largest diamonds ever sold at auction.

Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 59.6 carat Pink Star diamond was sold to Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook for $71.2 million to seal its fate as the most expensive diamond ever auctioned.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 14.62 carat Oppenheimer Blue diamond was sold to an undisclosed bidder for $57 million in Geneva in May 2016.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 118.28-carat white oval Flawless Type IIa diamond (the size of a small egg!) sold for $30.6 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2013.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 100.09-carat Graff Vivid Yellow Diamond sold for $16.3 million (the largest bid ever for a yellow diamond) at Sotheby’s Geneva in May 2014.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 10.10-carat De Beers Millennium Jewel 4 blue diamond, sold for $31.8 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong this week.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 24.78-carat Graff Pink diamond, once owned by Harry Winston, was sold for $46.1 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in November 2010.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 2.52-carat Cushion Modified Brilliant-Cut Vivid Green Diamond sold for $3 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in November 2009.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 16.08-carat Sweet Josephine pink diamond was sold for $28.5 million to the same Hong Kong businessman who bought the Blue Moon diamond, adding to his daughter Josephine’s growing collection of gems.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The Hong Kong bidder who bought the 12.03-carat Blue Moon diamond for $48.4 million at Sotheby’s Geneva in November 2015, renamed it Blue Moon of Josephine for his daughter.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 14.82-carat “The Orange” Fancy Vivid diamond sold for $32.8 million at Christie’s in November 2013. This special stone is 3x bigger than any other orange diamond.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

The 100-carat “Perfect Diamond” sold for $12.9 million at Sotheby’s New York in April 2015. It’s the biggest diamond ever sold at auction.

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Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction

Red is the rarest type of diamond which justifies the staggering $4.8 million price tag for the 2.09-carat Fancy Red VS2 diamond sold at Christie’s in Hong Kong in November 2014.