AN exceptionally rare pink diamond of nearly 19 carats fetched 50.3 million Swiss francs (US$50 million) at auction in Geneva on Tuesday, Christie’s said, setting a new per-carat record for a stone of its kind.

The Pink Legacy, which once belonged to the Oppenheimer family who for decades ran the De Beers diamond-mining company, was snapped up by American luxury brand Harry Winston, part of the Swiss Swatch group.

“US$2.6 million per carat. That is a world record per carat for a pink diamond,” said Francois Curiel, head of Christie’s in Europe, of the price that included all fees and commissions.

“This stone is for me the Leonardo da Vinci of diamonds.”

The 18.96-carat diamond was discovered in a South African mine around a century ago, Christie’s said. It was probably cut in the 1920s and has not been altered since.

(SD-Agencies)