GENEVA — A rare pink diamond smashed the world record for a jewel at auction Tuesday, selling for more than $46 million to a well-known gem dealer. The 24.78-carat “fancy intense pink” diamond sold for $46,158,674, easily topping the $24.3 million reached by the blue 35.56-carat Wittelsbach-Graff diamond in 2008, said auction house Sotheby’s. Both jewels were purchased by London- based jeweler Laurence Graff.
Graff raised eyebrows when he had the blue diamond recut after purchase, to the displeasure of purists who considered it an act of vandalism against a unique object. It wasn’t immediately known whether he planned to alter the pink diamond, which Sotheby’s says has a flaw unnoticeable to the naked eye but may be graded as internally flawless after repolishing. The Associated Press; Getty Images photo
