Dubbed the “Williamson Pink Star” at 11.15 carats it is the second largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond to ever appear at auction — outsized only by the record-breaking CTF Pink Star, the 59.60-carat oval mixed-cut diamond, which sold at Sotheby’s for $71.2 million in April 2017, and still holds the world auction record for any diamond, gemstone, or jewel. 

“Colored diamonds are so sought after that it is easy to forget just how rare they are, and a diamond of this caliber, purity and indeed ‘pink’-ness is a true wonder that stops you in your tracks,” Sophie Stevens, Sotheby’s Dubai jewelry specialist, told Arab News.

“We’ve chosen to showcase this marvel in Dubai in a clear continuation of our dedication to showcasing the best of the best in the UAE,” she added. “This is all the more the case when it comes to jewelry, as the Middle East is home to some of our most passionate and knowledgeable collectors when it comes to jewelry of the highest caliber.”

The cushion-shaped stone of the diamond has only two equals in clarity and depth of color. Its name references both the CTF Pink Star and the celebrated ‘Williamson’ stone — a brilliant stone of 23.60-carats given as a wedding present to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 by the  geologist and royalist Dr. John Thorburn Williamson, who owned the mine in Tanzania where it was discovered.

“One of the privileges of my role is discovering an endless range of breath-taking pieces of jewelry and bringing these to the doorsteps of collectors in the UAE,” added Stevens. “The fact that in the first half of the year, sales of jewelry at Sotheby’s for the region have gone up more than a quarter on last year, for the same period, is telling.”