The Clark Pink, a ring-set, 9 ct. cushion-cut, fancy vivid purplish pink diamond, took in a jaw-dropping $15.7 million at Christie's April 17 auction—shattering estimates and setting a new record for a pink diamond sold at auction in the U.S.
The winning bid far exceeded Christie’s estimate of $6 million-$8 million. The successful bidder was Brett Stettner of Stettner Investment Diamonds.
Stettner tells JCK he was willing to pay far more.
“It is the most beautiful pink I have ever seen," he says. "The color is just sensational. It is a true bubblegum pink. It has so much character, so much charm. In my 24 years of being in the business, I haven't seen anything that resembles this diamond."
Stettner says he plans to "refine the gem a bit" and rename it the "Clark Grenald Stettner" Pink. The name "Grenald" is in honor of Stettner's grandfather.
The Clark Pink was part of the collection of Huguette M. Clark, an heiress of the Gilded Age. Overall, Clark’s treasure trove of jewels, which Christie’s called “a fairy tale collection,” fetched $20.8 million, against a presale estimate of $9 million. This makes it the second most valuable private collection sold in the United States in the last decade, behind Elizabeth Taylor’s.
Other auction highlights included:
- A 44.09 ct. rectangular-cut D IF diamond, not part of the Clark collection, took in $7.4 million, or $169,500 per ct.
- The Clark Diamond, a rectangular-cut D color potentially IF diamond ring of 19.86 cts. by Cartier, fetched $3.1 million, or $156,400 per ct.
Overall, the Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels sale, which also featured jewels from other collections, realized $70.7 million, selling 95 percent by lot and 97 percent by value.
