Personal Consultation
By Benji, Content Manager
Dating back to 15th century India, the Agra Diamond, which is named for the Indian city of Agra, is one of the largest pink diamonds in the world. In fact, at 28.15 carats, the fancy light pink diamond with VS2 clarity is the fifth largest pink diamond on the planet. Only the Darya-i-Noor, the Noor-ul-Ain Diamond, The Pink Dream, and the Princie Diamond precede the Agra Diamond in terms of size. Since this remarkable stone can be traced back several centuries, it possesses an incredibly complex and colorful history, ending in the 1990 Christie’s London auction where it sold for $6.95 million to Siba Rare Jewels of Hong Kong.
The Agra Diamond
Dating back to 15th century India, the Agra Diamond, which is named for the Indian city of Agra, is one of the largest pink diamonds in the world. In fact, at 28.15 carats, the fancy light pink diamond with VS2 clarity is the fifth largest pink diamond on the planet. Only the Darya-i-Noor, the Noor-ul-Ain Diamond, The Pink Dream, and the Princie Diamond precede the Agra Diamond in terms of size. Since this remarkable stone can be traced back several centuries, it possesses an incredibly complex and colorful history, ending in the 1990 Christie’s London auction where it sold for $6.95 million to Siba Rare Jewels of Hong Kong.
The History
The first known owners of the Agra Diamond were Rajah of Gwalior’s family, who later handed it over to Barbur, the Moghul emperor, as a token of thanks for sparing their lives. Though the stone clearly move around quite a bit between the period when it belonged to Barbur and the point where it found its way to England, the exact details have yet to be proven. Somehow, the diamond made it to England, where Bram Hertz, a Paris diamond dealer, had the diamond cut down to 31.41 carats from the stone’s previous 41 carats, after having obtained it from the Duke of Brunswick. Later, in 1891, Edwin Streeter, a well-known author and jeweler, swapped a pearl necklace worth nearly $ 22,000 and approximately $1.500 in cash for the re-cut diamond. In 1990 the stone sold at a Christie’s auction for an astounding $6.95 million.
About Christie’s Auction House
Christie’s is the world’s largest auction house company. Its headquarters is located in London, England, with additional offices worldwide including Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Geneva, Moscow, as well as 79 others in a total of 43 different countries. With Christie’s first sale having taken place in 1766, it is no surprise that this auction house is responsible for selling some of the most valuable and sought after items in the world.
About Pink Diamonds
Like all color diamonds, pink diamonds owe their unique color to an aspect of the stone. However, unlike most other color diamonds, this aspect is not an element, such as nitrogen or boron, sometimes found in stones, which are responsible for yellow and blue coloring, respectively. Rather, pink diamonds are pink because of the plastic deformations of the crystal lattice of the stone, caused by the temperature and pressure pink diamonds had to endure beneath the Earth’s surface for millions of years. Pink diamonds are incredibly rare and are loved for their romantic hue, thereby making them one of the most popular color diamonds of all times.
Other Famous Pink Diamonds
As mentioned previously, four other extraordinary famous pink diamonds precede the Agra Diamond in terms of size. The largest pink diamond in the world is the Darya-i-Noor, a 186-carat fancy light pink table-cut diamond, followed by the Noor-ul-Ain Diamond, a 60-carat fancy light pink brilliant cut oval diamond, the Pink Dream (formerly the Pink Star), a 59.60-carat fancy vivid pink IF oval shaped diamond, and the Princie Diamond, a 34.65-carat fancy intense pink VS2 type IIa cushion cut diamond. Each and every one of these stones is famous not only for its unusual size, but for its rare color, cut, or clarity.
Leibish Pink Diamonds
LEIBISH is a reputable authority for color diamonds worldwide and offers some of the most mesmerizing color stones and jewelry you will find. Among the many stones and pieces of jewelry offered is a wide range of pink diamonds and pink diamond jewelry, and gorgeous pink diamond engagement rings for any budget.
A Pink diamond engagement ring and wedding band set
