The Pink Star: Inside the World's Most Expensive Diamond Sale

On April 4, 2017, a 59.60-carat oval-cut diamond sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong for $71.2 million, becoming the most expensive gemstone ever sold at auction. That single sale is well known. The full path to it, including a failed $83 million sale four years earlier, is less commonly reported in full.

From a 132.5-Carat Rough to a Two-Year Cut

The Pink Star originated as a 132.5-carat rough stone, mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999. Cutting and polishing took roughly two years, ultimately yielding a 59.60-carat oval mixed-cut, Type IIa diamond. GIA graded it Fancy Vivid Pink, Internally Flawless, the largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond the laboratory has ever certified.

The 2013 Sale That Collapsed

The stone first went to auction at Sotheby's Geneva in November 2013, where New York diamond cutter Isaac Wolf placed the winning bid of $83 million. In February 2014, Wolf defaulted on payment, and Sotheby's took ownership of the diamond as a result of the failed transaction. The sale never appeared as a completed transaction in the market's price history.

2017: A New Record in Hong Kong

Sotheby's brought the diamond back to auction in April 2017, this time in Hong Kong. Hong Kong jewelry group Chow Tai Fook won the bidding at $71.2 million, a lower total than the defaulted 2013 bid but the first price the market actually recognizes, since it was the price a buyer completed payment on. Chow Tai Fook renamed the stone the CTF Pink Star, commemorating the company's 88th anniversary.

"A headline auction price only counts once payment settles. The Pink Star's real market-recognized record is $71.2 million, not the $83 million bid that collapsed four years earlier — a distinction that matters whenever auction results are cited as pricing benchmarks."

What the Pink Star Tells B2B Buyers

Stones of this size and clarity in Fancy Vivid Pink are exceptionally rare; the Pink Star's significance for the working wholesale market is directional rather than a direct pricing comparable. It confirms sustained, top-of-market demand for internally flawless vivid pink material, a demand that extends down through the smaller carat weights and more accessible intensity grades that make up the bulk of B2B trade. Explore current availability in our pink diamond guide, or submit a wholesale enquiry for GIA-certified vivid pink stock.