Rare Indian Princie diamond sold for $39m at NYC auction

A cushion-cut sparkler of a 34.65 carat pink diamond that originated from the ancient mines of Golconda in south India has been sold for $39,323,750, one of the highest prices for a privately owned diamond.

A cushion-cut sparkler of a 34.65 carat pink diamond that originated from the ancient mines of Golconda in south India has been sold for $39,323,750, one of the highest prices for a privately owned diamond.

The-Princie-diamond-or-the-Fancy-Intense-Pink-Diamond

The Princie diamond or the Fancy Intense Pink Diamond — as it was named by the British auction house Christie’s — was purchased by an anonymous collector who bid on phone.

A statement by Christie’s said the sale late Tuesday created a new record for a jewel at the auction house, surpassing the previous record of $24.3 million set in December 2008 for a Whittelsbach diamond.

The Princie diamond possesses the most desirable qualities that today’s collectors seek in the jewel: large size, desirable shape, polish, exceptional colour, quality, Golconda origins and a noble history.

The provenance of the gemstone says it was first recorded in the holdings of the royal family of Hyderabad, one of the wealthiest provinces of the Mughal empire.

It was first offered in an auction in 1960 as “The Property of a Gentleman” — later revealed to be the Nizam of Hyderabad himself. The diamond was purchased by the London branch of Van Cleef and Arpels for £46,000 that corresponds to $1.3 million today and highlights the tremendous investment opportunities in the world of diamonds.

The diamond’s unique name was bestowed at a party at the firm’s Paris store, where it was christened the “Princie” in honor of a 14-year-old former prince of Baroda, who attended the party with his mother, the erstwhile maharani Sita Devi.