16-Carat Yellow Diamond Fetches $1M+ at Phillips HK

Hong Kong—A 16-carat yellow diamond from Phillips’ Hong Kong Jewels auction sold for $8.9 million Hong Kong dollars ($1.1 million), at the higher end of what was expected for the stone. 

The headlining 15.51-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond, set in a ring, is a brilliant-cut diamond, a cutting style known for resulting in a great loss of material. 

Phillips noted earlier that it is “extremely rare” to see brilliant-cut natural colored diamonds, as the value of colored diamonds often results in cutting styles that maximize carat weight yield.

The yellow diamond was the top lot of the auction, which garnered HK$32 million ($4 million). 

With 66 lots sold of the 91 lots offered, the auction was sold 73 percent by lot and 76 percent by value.

Phillips Jewels’ Worldwide Head of Jewellery Benoît Repellin and Head of Sale, Hong Kong, Louisa Chan said fancy colored diamonds “commanded the sale.”

An 11.08-carat heart-shaped fancy yellow diamond ring sold for HK$1 million ($133,091), outdoing its pre-sale high estimate of HK$780,000 ($100,000). 

A 2.65-carat fancy intense orangy pink diamond ring fetched HK$2.9 million ($373,304), just below its high estimate of HK$3 million ($400,000).

Highlighted as a piece expected to sell for up HK$3.5 million ($450,000), a spiraling dome ring featuring a 1.38-carat fancy vivid purplish pink diamond did not find a buyer.  

A brilliant-cut colorless 5.53-carat diamond with D color and VVS1 clarity sold within its estimate for HK$1.9 million ($243,459), rounding out to just over $44,000 per carat.