A "fancy intense pink" diamond, which also happens to be one of the world's rarest, has sold for a World Record price at Sotheby's.
According to the BBC, the unique 24.78-carat stone was sold to a well-known British dealer in Geneva - the first time it had appeared on the market for six decades.
A spokesman for Sotheby's commented that he had only seen "one or two other stones" like it on the market in 35 years.
Descriptions of the diamond (not the example pictured) say it has a classic emerald cut with gently rounded corners. There is a single flaw, apparently unnoticeable to the naked eye.
The pink diamond is now the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction; breaking the previous record set by a blue 35.56 carat diamond, sold for £15.2m in 2008.
Sotheby's attached a $27-38m estimate to the diamond. In the end, it sold for $45.75m (45.44m Swiss francs) in yesterday's sale.
Even more remarkably, the pink diamond wasn't the only 'most expensive piece ever auctioned' to emerge in Geneva yesterday.
Also sold was a 1947 Château Cheval Blanc for a World Record price of $304,375.
- Learn how you can get pleasure and profit from the world's rarest diamonds
- Click here for all the latest Watches & Jewellery news
Join our readers in over 200 countries around the world - sign up for your free weekly Collectibles Newsletter today
