Arpege Diamonds continues the exploration of some of the most famous diamonds in history. Here is the latest installment of the Famous Diamond Series, on the breathtaking Sweet Josephine.
Arpege Diamonds Presents...
It would be easy to characterize this record-setting auction price as a case of billionaires being billionaires.However, discerning readers and investors should looks beyond the tabloid ready details of Joseph Lau’s life and business dealings, and appreciate his investment strategy. The Hong Kong investor has previously purchased gemstones for older daughter Zoe – a blue diamond and a ruby – and another blue diamond purchases in 2009 known as “Star of Josephine.” It was his purchase of the Blue Moon – now known as Blue Moon of Josephine - and “The Pink” which was auctioned on 10 November, 2015, at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva, Switzerland.
Rarest Amongst Rare
The Magnificent Jewels type auctions are intended to attract the wealthiest individual buyers and the rarified cream of the investing class. The auction cleared in excess of 110,264,375 Swiss Francs, with 28,725,000 of that sum being realized from Mr. Lau’s purchase of The Pink. The Fancy Vivid Pink stone weighs 16.08 carats and is the largest cushion cut stone ever offered for bid, one of only three stones of this classification to come up for public sale in 250 years. The stone was previously in private ownership in America prior to the Christie’s sale.
Set in a gold and platinum ring with two rows of pave white diamonds surrounding it and a third row of smaller pink diamonds below, the stone is classified as a Type IIa and is rated as being of VVS2 clarity. Type IIa diamonds make up no more than two percent of natural diamonds, and are almost completely free of nitrogen impurities, such as famous diamonds like the Agra diamond and the Koh-i-Noor. VVS2 diamonds are two steps below the rarest rating of Internally Flawless, and may show Very Very Slight (the VVS part) inclusions that you may need a microscope to pick out, and then only if you have a very skilled and trained eye. They are not visible to the naked eye of a layman or professional, and may not even show up under the standard jeweler’s loupe, but may take a gemologist some time and squinting to detect.
Mr. Lau purchased a highly important stone, and has made a clear pattern of investment in colored diamonds and other stones much as other investors may invest in art, fine wines, and other alternatives to the rollercoaster stock market and real estate. His daughters may realize the benefits when they reach adulthood, and their father passes on the stones that he purchased and named for them in their childhood. Such stones are seeing dramatic increases in value per carat as time goes on, and these small, portable investments are far less volatile than the “correction” prone stock market. Even for a billionaire, proper investments that hold long term value are of importance as part of a financial strategy. Look for more historic highs in the colored stone market in 2016.
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