Two world records were set today (June 8) when a ruby and pink gemstone sold for $34.8 million each at Sotheby's, making them the most expensive colored gemstone and purplish-pink diamond ever sold.
The Magnificent Jewels auction also made history for becoming the first to sell two stones for more than $30 million in the same sale.
The 55.22-carat “Estrela de FURA,” the world’s largest ruby, sold to an unnamed private collector from the Middle East. Its auction broke the previous record for a ruby, set in 2015 when a 25.59-carat Burmese stone sold for $30.3 million.
The gem was cut from a 101-carat rough crystal mined in the Montepuez mine of Mozambique in July 2022. Named after FUR Gems, a Dubai-headquartered mining company that discovered the ruby, it is especially rich in chromium and said to radiate a red fluorescent color when exposed to sunlight.
The Estrela de FURA was sold alongside “The Eternal Pink,” a 10.57-carat pink diamond purchased by a confidential buyer. Mined at the Damtshaa mine in Botswana by De Beers, the diamond’s sale has now succeeded that of a 10.64-carat purplish-pink diamond which achieved $19.9 million in 2019.
The Eternal Pink sold for $3.2 million per carat, setting another record for the highest price per carat for its color grade. Only three percent of all diamonds submitted to the Gemological Institute of America are colored, with pink being one of the rarest naturally occurring stone colors.
The gems were part of a $96 million auction
“I proudly speak on behalf of the global Jewelry Department at Sotheby’s when I say how truly privileged we are to have been a steward of these ultra-rare gems and today’s results are further proof that there is continued demand for the finest diamonds and gemstones of the very highest order,” said Quig Bruning, head of the auction house’s jewelry department for the Americas, in a statement.
Nearly 90 lots were sold during Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction, which became the auctioneer’s most lucrative jewelry sale after realizing a total price of nearly $96 million.
In addition to the Estrela de FURA and Eternal Pink stones, four other gems sold for more than $1 million. These included two sapphire and diamond pieces from Cartier, a ring and necklace, which both came from the collection of Constance Prosser Mellon and were purchased for $3.3 million and $2.8 million respectively. A total of 11 pieces of jewelry were sold from the Mellon Family’s collection at the auction, bringing in $6.9 million.