Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels In New York Is Set To Be The Best This Year For Fancy Color Diamonds

On December 9, Sotheby’s will be offering the most unique and rare Fancy Color Diamonds this year. It will be offering some of the rarest colors for investors like red, blue and pink as well as collector’s colors like orange and green. 211 lots will be offered ranging from as low as $5000 to as high as $12 million and everything in between. I just don’t remember the last time that the top five lots of an auction were all rare Fancy Color Diamonds and all above $1 million in minimum value!

The top lot is a true rarity. At 5.03 carat, Fancy Vivid Pink diamonds with a VS1 clarity (GIA 6214153257), this diamond has been asked about for quite some time. I remember the asking price being anywhere between $2.5 million and more (depending on the broker chain). The color is as strong as it gets. It is being valued between $9 million and $12 million or $1.79 million to $2.39 million per carat. Although the clarity is only a VS1 and knowing that a Flawless or even Internally Flawless would have been best, in our case the color is the most important factor. If the color is strong enough, it can hide many inclusions and the diamond will be eye clean even up close.

The next top lot is equally rare if not more, is a 1.79 carat, Fancy Red diamond with an SI2 clarity (GIA 5151172382). The clarity is an acceptable one for a red diamond. The last time we saw a similar shape Red diamond was the 2.09 carat, also with an SI2 clarity was back in 2014, when Moussaieff sold it and broker a record per carat for any Diamond. It was sold for $2.44 million per carat. Most recently another Red diamond (1.05 carat) was sold for slightly higher price per carat, breaking the record. This is a 1.79 carat Red Diamond. It is valued between $2.5 million to $3.5 million or $1.4 million to $1.96 million per carat. Let’s see what collectors out there are willing to pay (I have a feeling it will break the top value quite easily). The current bid on this diamond as of the time of publishing is $2 million.

The next lot for sale is an impressive 3.67 carat, Fancy Intense Blue diamond with a VS2 clarity (GIA 5201866948). It is valued between $2.5 million to $3.5 million or $681k to $954k per carat. The current bid on it as of the time of publishing is $2 million. Although this size Fancy Intense Blue diamond is indeed rare, there are quite a few available on the market today. In addition, with a VS2 clarity, getting the high value per carat will be a challenge, unless there is a chance it will be re-polished into a Fancy Vivid Blue diamond. Time will tell…

The next item up for bid is a 2.28 carat Fancy Vivid Blue diamond with a VVS1 clarity and a note stating that it may be potentially Internally Flawless (GIA 2215064000), which means that the bidding will be based on the potential and not the current clarity. It is valued between $2.25 million to $3.25 million or $987k to $1.43 million per carat. The current high bid as of publishing is $1.8 million. I strongly believe that the price will be at the high end considering the size, color and potential clarity.

It is rare to see a pure Fancy Vivid Orange diamond at auction, let alone as large as this one. The 2.00 carat Fancy Vivid Orange diamond with a VS1 clarity (GIA 2115371469) is being valued at between $1 million to $1.5 million or $500k to $750k per carat. The current bid at publishing is $800k. Being that it is a 2.00 in size, it is a dangerous game to play should it be chipped in any way and the weight will go down below 2.00 carat. For a collector this would be a prized piece and therefore I believe it will end up selling at a high value.

The 3 heart shape Fancy Color Diamonds are owned by the same individual ( a collector).

The next important Fancy Color diamond to talk about is the 1.08 carat, Fancy Vivid Blue diamond with a VVS2 clarity (GIA 2155532845). It is valued between $500k and $800k or $463k to $648k per carat. unless the color is weak, then the price will end up above $1 million.

The next item I am reviewing is a 2.31 carat Fancy Pinkish Orange (GIA 1152687309). As this is a color only certificate, it means the clarity is I clarity. It is valued between $200k to $300k or $86k to $130k per carat. The current bid as of publishing is $160k. It may sell at the low end of the valuation.

The last item I am reviewing for this auction is the 1.49 carat Fancy Green diamond with an SI2 clarity (GIA 16764147). It is valued between $70k to $90k or $47k to $60.4k per carat. The current highest bid as of publishing is $60k. Being that the shape is emerald, and it is a straight Fancy Green, it seems to me that it will sell on the higher end of the valuation and will surpass it.

I look forward to watching the auction live from across the ocean while it takes place in New York. Please feel free to contact us for any questions or inquiries about investing in Fancy Color Diamonds.