London jeweller Graff has acquired what founder Laurence Graff, a man known by his moniker The King of Diamonds, has described as “the most vivid pink rough diamond I have ever seen”.
The incredibly rare 13.33ct pink diamond was unearthed at the Letšeng mine in Lesotho, Africa, by miner Gem Diamonds in February. The Letšeng mine is famed for its high yield of very valuable and large rough diamonds.
While the diamonds to emerge from Letšeng consistently achieve the highest price per carat of any rough diamonds in the world, Graff has set a new record with the acquisition of the 13.33ct pink diamond. The stone, which has since been named the Graff Lesotho Pink, was purchased by Graff for US$8.75 million, making it the most expensive diamond on a dollar per carat basis to ever have emerged from the mine.
“This is the most vivid pink rough diamond I have ever seen, and it is an exceptionally rare treasure,” said Mr Graff. “We are renowned for cutting and polishing exceptional diamonds, and I am sure the polished diamond that comes from this rough will be an auspicious addition to our roll call of famous gems. It is an enormous privilege to own this natural miracle. We may never see anything like it again.”
The Graff Lesotho Pink diamond is now in the hands of Graff’s master diamond cutters, who will assess the rough stone’s potential and decide what are the optimum cut to make out of the rough will be.
Source:jewellerycut