DALLAS, TX.- An exceptional natural fancy pink diamond weighing 6.17 carats realized $2,187,500 in Heritage’s Holiday Fine Jewelry Signature® Auction on Wednesday. Known as The Angelina, the fresh-to-market oval-shaped treasure helped lead the Dec. 3 auction to an $8,405,540 finish and now stands as the highest-priced item of jewelry in Heritage history.

Natural pink diamonds like The Angelina are some of the rarest gemstones on Earth. Less than 0.01% of all diamonds mined annually display natural pink coloration, and those surpassing 5.00 carats with richly saturated tone reside at the absolute pinnacle of rarity.

“The sale of this extraordinary pink diamond for $2.18 million underscores just how sought-after stones of this magnitude are,” says Jill Burgum, Heritage’s Executive Director of Fine Jewelry. “It’s incredibly special to place a gem of this importance into the hands of a new steward.”

The Angelina comes from the Estate of Willa Dean Lyon and takes its name from its owner’s granddaughter. A Texas native, Lyon was a respected member of her Orange County, California, community, where her husband, William Lyon, was a prominent homebuilder and property developer. Together, they championed numerous causes and received recognition for their philanthropy, with the Orangewood Children’s Home being closest to their hearts.

Though their popularity is on the rise, pink diamonds have been in demand for hundreds of years. The earliest records of pink diamonds trace back to the early 17th century and the founding of India’s famed Golconda mines, which produced many of the world’s most storied diamonds. More recently, the Argyle mine in Western Australia, which began operating in the 1980s, became the world’s most significant source of pink diamonds, producing up to 90% of the global supply. The mine’s 2020 closure, however, has greatly reduced the availability of pink diamonds, intensifying interest and demand for the rare stones.

Also dazzling bidders in Heritage’s holiday auction was a pair of Van Cleef & Arpels natural pearl and diamond earrings. Set in platinum and featuring approximately 6.00 carats of diamonds and two pearl drops — one weighing 16.36 carats and the other 17.88 carats — the earrings sold for $600,000, soaring past their high pre-auction estimate of $30,000.

Burgum notes that while the initial pre-sale estimate was set before the pearls had been identified as natural, the final hammer price was still a pleasant surprise. “We had a gut feeling the pearls might be natural, so we sent them to GIA for professional pearl grading reports,” she says. “We were thrilled with the results, understanding the pearls would drive a higher final price, but we never imagined they’d reach the final figure in Wednesday’s auction. Mind-boggling! And truly electric in the auction room.”

The earrings are accompanied by a GIA Portrait Book, a custom, high-end presentation book produced by the Gemological Institute of America. GIA Portrait Books are produced for particularly significant gemstones, most often large, rare or historically notable diamonds, colored stones or pearls. They go well beyond a standard grading report, offering a detailed and visually rich documentation of the gem.

Another standout lot was a diamond and platinum ring that realized $325,000. Elegant and commanding, the ring features a trio of sparkling diamonds: a 10.89-carat square-shaped center stone flanked by two triangular-shaped diamonds weighing a total of approximately 4.00 carats.

Five other rings in the auction also achieved six-figure results: a 5.90-carat diamond and platinum ring that sold for $175,000, a 9.69-carat diamond and white gold ring that brought $143,750, a diamond and platinum ring featuring a 4.04-carat GIA Type IIa diamond that realized $137,500, a Norman Silverman ring centered by a 6.01-carat fancy intense yellow diamond that sold for $100,250, and a 4.17-carat diamond and white gold ring that brought $100,000.

Also garnering six-figure prices were a luminous Tiffany & Co. tourmaline and diamond necklace that sold for $131,250 and a pair of diamond and white gold earrings that realized $100,000.

Other auction highlights included two stunning designer creations: a striking and sculptural set of Van Cleef & Arpels Manchette cuffs in hand-hammered 18k gold that realized $68,750 and a highly desirable David Webb necklace from the same estate as the auction-topping pink diamond. The necklace, featuring enamel, platinum, 18k gold and a total of approximately 14.00 carats of full-cut diamonds, sold for $62,500.