To mark the official opening of its new gallery and office space in Dubai, Sotheby’s put a rather special stone on show — the world’s largest internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond.
In Dubai for only two days — yesterday and today — the stone, called the Pink Star, weighs a whopping 59.6 carats and has received the highest colour and clarity grades from the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) for pink diamonds. It is part of a rare subgroup comprising less than 2 per cent of all diamonds, called Type IIa. The stone was mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999, and measured 132.5 carats in its rough form. It was meticulously cut and polished over a period of two years.
Battling for attention with the Pink Star on the first floor of the Sotheby’s gallery was one of the most important watches ever to be offered at auction, the Patek Philippe yellow-gold Calibre 89, which is expected to fetch between $6.4 and $9.9 million when it goes on sale later this year.
Also on show in the new Sotheby’s space on the ground floor of Gate Village 3 in DIFC were other highlights from the company’s international art auction calendar for the forthcoming season. These range from historic Islamic works of art spanning thousands of years, works by important female artists such as Fahrelnissa Zeid and Madiha Omar and a museum-quality work by modern master Bahman Mohasess.
“This past Saturday was Sotheby’s 273rd birthday, and we are proud to celebrate this and our 40 years of service to clients in the Middle East by opening our new gallery and office space within the Dubai International Financial Centre,” says Tad Smith, president and CEO of Sotheby’s. “The Middle East, and especially the UAE, has grown and prospered at an extraordinary pace. Sotheby’s footprint in Dubai brings three centuries of history and expertise, and we look forward to contributing to an even greater future together on this fulcrum of the world’s jewellery, art, and luxury car markets.”
sdenman@thenational.ae
