Pretty in pink: the $38m diamond

Abu Dhabi // An extremely rare pink diamond that is expected to become the most expensive in the world next month made a short stop in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The 24.78-carat diamond is expected to fetch between $27m and $38m (Dh140m) when it is auctioned by Sotheby's in Geneva on November 16. It has not been on the open market since the American jeweller Harry Winston sold it to a private collector more than 60 years ago.

The 35.56-carat Wittelsbach diamond is currently the most expensive diamond sold at auction. The deep greyish-blue stone was sold in 2008 for $24.3m. "We've come across lots of quite exceptional diamonds but, if you're talking about pink, this is really the best we've ever seen," said Daniela Mascetti, Sotheby's senior international jewellery specialist.

"It is something very, very special." Brett O'Connor, the auction house's senior jewellery specialist in Europe, added that its size was what made the diamond so rare. "When you cut a diamond, typically, you lose between 50 and 70 per cent of the weight of the stone - which means this [diamond] rough would have been in excess of 50 carats.

"But the most important thing is that this stone is pure pink. It's a lovely, feminine, intense pink. This is a phenomenal find and a phenomenally rare stone." The Abu Dhabi event, organised under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation and Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union, followed a showing of the diamond in Hong Kong last week.

Mounted on a platinum ring, the baby pink stone will also tour London and New York before heading back to Geneva. "The Middle East has long been one of our most important markets for jewellery and a stone of this importance and beauty is bound to be of interest to collectors in the region," said David Bennett, Sotheby's head of international jewellery in Europe and the Middle East.

[ zalhassani@thenational.ae ]

other things to buy for Dh140m

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Rolls Royce Ghosts, costing Dh1,300,000 each

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prize-winning female camels at Dh10 million each

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million pizza burgers from Burger King at Dh39 each

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thousand private R44 helicopters at Dh1,251,200 each

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.