< Historic Diamonds / Famous Diamonds
The Eternal Pink Diamond: A Record-Breaking Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink
Discover what makes this diamond especially rare and coveted.
(Courtesy of Sotheby’s)
The Eternal Pink Diamond sold on June 8, 2023, at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York for $34.8 million (over $35 million including buyer’s premium).
The final price set a record for the most valuable purplish pink diamond ever sold at auction and one of the highest prices per carat ever achieved for any diamond at the time.
Meet the Expert
- Grant Mobley is the Jewelry & Watch Editor of Only Natural Diamonds.
- He is a GIA Diamonds Graduate.
- He has over 17 years of jewelry industry experience, starting with growing up in his family’s retail jewelry stores.
The diamond was purchased by Diacore, the boutique diamond manufacturer that originally cut the stone from rough. Following the auction, the gem was reportedly acquired by a private collector. As is typical with important colored diamonds, it remains in private hands.
What Is the Eternal Pink Diamond?
The Eternal Pink is a 10.57-carat cushion-cut diamond, graded Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink and Internally Flawless by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Its estimated pre-sale value represented one of the highest price-per-carat expectations ever placed on a diamond or gemstone. At auction, it achieved approximately $3.3 million per carat, underscoring the extraordinary rarity of its color and clarity combination.
Natural color diamonds of any size, color, or intensity have always maintained a special allure and reputation due to their extreme rarity and value, but this diamond truly stands above almost any that has come before. The Eternal Pink is considered “the quintessential pink.” The gem possesses an unparalleled color and brightness that is thoroughly captivating and enchanting, with an aura that has been described by experts as glowing to the human eye.
Why Is the Eternal Pink So Rare?
“The 10.57-carat Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink diamond is a stunning specimen, one of nature’s great wonders transformed through artistry and ingenuity. Its refined lines combined with the intensity of its color earn it a place as one of the world’s most extraordinary gems.”
— Tom Moses, Executive Vice President, Chief Laboratory & Research Officer at the GIA
When assessing colored diamonds, color reigns supreme among the 4Cs. Colored diamonds make up less than 3% of all diamonds examined by the GIA, making them inherently rare. Among those, pink diamonds are among the most coveted and least understood.
Unlike blue diamonds (colored by boron) or yellow diamonds (colored by nitrogen), the exact cause of pink color remains largely a mystery. Most gemologists believe it results from structural distortion in the diamond’s crystal lattice during formation deep within the earth.
For most natural diamond colors, the “Fancy Vivid” grade is the pinnacle of excellence. The addition of a subtle purple modifier enhances saturation and vibrancy—qualities that dramatically elevate value.
The GIA has encountered only a handful of diamonds that can be classified as Fancy Vivid Purplish Pink, particularly in sizes exceeding 10 carats. That combination of size, clarity, and color intensity places the Eternal Pink in an elite category of historic stones.
From Rough Diamond to Masterpiece
The 23.78-carat rough diamond that yielded the Eternal Pink was recovered by De Beers at the Damtshaa mine in Botswana. It took Diacore’s team of artisans six intense months to fashion it into its final cushion shape, carefully maximizing the diamond’s vivid “bubblegum” pink saturation while preserving weight and clarity.
Cutting a pink diamond requires extraordinary precision. Even minute changes in proportion can dilute color concentration. The final result is a balanced cushion cut that amplifies brilliance without sacrificing hue intensity.
How Does the Eternal Pink Compare to Other Famous Pink Diamonds?
Sotheby’s is no stranger to record-breaking pink diamonds.
- The Williamson Pink Star (11.15-carat Fancy Vivid Pink, Internally Flawless) sold in October 2022 for over $5,178,000 per carat.
- The CTF Pink Star achieved $71.2 million, making it the most valuable gemstone ever sold at auction.
While smaller than the Pink Star, the Eternal Pink stands out for its exceptional purplish modifier, internally flawless clarity, and remarkable saturation relative to its size.
The Eternal Pink’s Global Debut
Before its June 2023 auction, Sotheby’s exhibited the Eternal Pink in Hong Kong, followed by a global tour including Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai, Taiwan, and Geneva. Its debut coincided with Sotheby’s 50th anniversary in Asia, underscoring the growing importance of Asian collectors in the colored diamond market.
Quig Bruning, Head of Sotheby’s Jewelry, Americas, described the diamond as:
“This color is the most beautiful and concentrated shade of pink in diamonds that I have ever seen or has ever come to market. Sotheby’s is honored to behold this exceptional jewel and present it to the world this June, as it makes its grand debut on the auction block, joining the ranks of the most important diamonds in history. The Eternal Pink’s immense presence and great rarity make it comparable to ultimate masterpieces of art – far rarer than a Magritte or a Warhol. Combined with its exceptional clarity, it is not surprising that it would command the highest per-carat pre-sale estimate for any diamond to date.”
Where Is the Eternal Pink Diamond Now?
Today, like many of the world’s most important Fancy Vivid pink diamonds, the Eternal Pink remains in private hands—its precise location undisclosed, adding to its mystique and exclusivity. In a market where true Fancy Vivid pink diamonds over 10 carats are nearly unheard of, the Eternal Pink stands as a modern benchmark for rarity.
