'The saturation, the intensity of this stone is as good as it gets in a coloured diamond,' states Rahul Kadakia, International Head of Jewellery, of the Pink Legacy, an extraordinary 18.96-carat Fancy Vivid Pink diamond that sold for CHF50,375,000 in the Magnificent Jewels auction on 13 November at Christie's in Geneva, and was promptly renamed The Winston Pink Legacy by its new owners, Harry Winston.

'To find a diamond of this size with this colour is pretty much unreal,' he continues. 'You may see this colour in a pink diamond of less than one carat. But this is almost 19 carats and it's as pink as can be. It's unbelievable.'

Scientists classify diamonds into two main 'types' — Type I and Type II. In the latter, the diamond has a particularly rare, almost homogenous colour. 'Pink diamonds fall under the rare Type IIa category of diamonds,' explains the specialist. 'These are stones that have little if any trace of nitrogen, and make up less than two per cent of all gem diamonds. Type IIa stones are some of the most chemically pure diamonds often with exceptional transparency and brilliance.'

 While most pink diamonds exhibit a colour modifier like purple, orange, brown or grey, the Pink Legacy shows no trace of a secondary colour. Its even colour distribution, combined with a balanced saturation, tone and straight pink hue, qualify the 18.96 carat diamond for the coveted 'Fancy Vivid' colour grading from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Only one in 1,000,000 diamonds possess a colour deep enough to qualify as 'Fancy Vivid', and the Winston Legacy set a new record price per carat for a pink diamond.

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