Russian pink diamond sets record price at Sotheby’s in Geneva

The diamond, cut from a rough stone discovered by Alrosa PJSC at an alluvial mine in Russia’s Far East, also fetched a record auction price for a purple-pink gem, Sotheby’s said.

The Spirit of the Rose -- named after a ballet in which dancer Vaslav Nijinsky starred -- was bought by an anonymous buyer, who placed the winning bid over the phone, the auction house said in an Instagram post.

Colored diamonds, formed by impurities such as boron or nitrogen, are the most expensive and rarest, with pink and red stones fetching the highest prices.

Alrosa, Russia’s biggest diamond miner, found the 27.85-carat rough stone in 2017 and named it Nijinsky. The preparation and cutting process, which took a full year, was done at the company’s factory in Moscow. The gem sold in Geneva was Russia’s most expensive diamond, Alrosa’s press service said.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.