HONG KONG: An enormous oval diamond named the "Pink Promise" was sold today for an eye-watering USD 32.16 million at auction in Hong Kong.
The 14.93-carat pink gemstone went to an unidentified phone bidder as applause filled the room.
Auctioneers Christie's said it was the second highest price per carat paid for a pink diamond, next to the five-carat "Vivid Pink" which sold in Hong Kong for USD 10.78 million in 2009.
However, the diamond failed to sell at the higher end of the auction house's estimates of up to USD 42 million.
"It's a very, very strong price," François Curiel, Christie's Europe and Asia chairman, told AFP after the sale.
"It really shows that Hong Kong is a very important centre for jewellery today." An ongoing anti-corruption drive in mainland China has done little to dent feverish bidding in Hong Kong's auction houses.
A 1,000-year-old bowl from China's Song Dynasty was sold for USD 37.7 million in the city last month, breaking the record for Chinese ceramics.
Earlier this year a giant diamond named the "Pink Star" broke the world record for a gemstone sold at auction when it fetched USD 71.2 million at Sotheby's.