An exquisite 10.64-carat fancy vivid purplish-pink IF diamond ring sold for HK$155,831,000 or US$19,862,220 at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite autumn sale in Hong Kong.

The stone led a sparkling assortment of exceptional diamond and coloured gemstone jewellery pieces at the auction.

According to the auction house, “only 1 percent of all pink diamonds graded by the Gemological Institute of America are larger than 10 carats, and the fact that this diamond weighs 10.64 carats makes it an astonishing marvel of nature.”

The stone is part of a rare subgroup comprising less than 4 percent of all pink diamonds which have achieved a ‘fancy vivid’ colour, its alluring hue further ‘sweetened’ by a hint of purple, noted Sotheby’s.

With its fine transparency and exceptionally clear appearance, the diamond has been afforded the grade of an internally flawless gem. Polished as a radiant cut, with the outline of an emerald-cut diamond combined with the scintillation of a brilliant-cut diamond, the gemstone boasts an attractive combination of facets that enhance its face-up colour, according to Sotheby’s.