The rare 34.65ct Fancy Intense Pink Cushion Cut Diamond, named the ‘Princie' sold for $39.3million (£25.7million) by an anonymous collector at Christie's New York – making it the most expensive jewel ever sold in the auction houses 200 plus year history.
The famous pink cushion cut diamond is believed to the third largest pink diamond in the world. The diamond was discovered around 300 years ago and belonged to the royal family (Nizams) of Hyderbad. The then Nizam of Hyderabad auctioned the diamond in 1960 at Sotheby's, where it was bought by the London branch of jewelers Van Cleef & Arpels for £46,000. Arpels sent the diamond to their Paris store where it was christened "Princie" in honor of the fourteen-year old Prince of Baroda.