The "Pink Star" was auctioned for 0.553 billion Hong Kong dollars (71.2 million U.S. dollars). (Photo/Agencies)
A 59.60-carat oval pink diamond was auctioned for 0.553 billion Hong Kong dollars (71.2 million U.S. dollars) at Sotheby's Hong Kong jewels and jadeite spring sale on Tuesday, setting a new world record for any diamond or jewel.
Estimated at over 60 million U.S. dollars, the "Pink Star" is the largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded.
It has received the highest color and clarity grades from GIA for pink diamonds and has been found to be part of the rare subgroup comprising less than 2 percent of all gem diamonds.
Mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999, the 132.5-carat rough diamond was meticulously cut and polished for over two years and transformed into a 59.60-carat stunning gemstone.
Until now, the previous world auction record for a pink diamond was 46.2 million U.S. dollars for the 24.78 carat "The Graff Pink" in 2010.
