Bulgari Pink Diamond: A 24-Carat Ring Heads to Christie’s Geneva

For more than seventy years it has lived quietly with one European family. On November 10 in Geneva, the Bulgari Pink, a 24-carat emerald-cut pink diamond mounted by the Roman house in the 1950s, will appear at auction for the very first time, with Christie’s estimating it at CHF 10 million to 15 million, or about $12 million to $18 million.

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What is the Bulgari Pink diamond?

Christie’s announced the stone on October 9. It is a 24-carat diamond in the emerald cut, the long, step-faceted shape that rewards a stone with exceptional transparency, and it carries a Fancy Intense pink color grade. It is also a Type IIa diamond, a chemically pure category that, as Forbes reports, accounts for fewer than 2% of gem-quality diamonds.

Bulgari set it as a ring in the 1950s, and it has stayed with the same family ever since. Max Fawcett, Christie’s global head of jewelry, told Forbes: “It is a rare privilege to present a masterpiece that has remained in private hands for more than 70 years.”

Where did the Bulgari Pink come from?

According to family lore relayed by Rapaport, the current owner’s great-grandfather brought the rough stone back from India in the 1950s and later entrusted it to Bulgari. Forbes notes that it may have come from the historic Golconda mines, a possibility rather than a documented fact, and one we would treat with care until Christie’s catalogue says more.

The Golconda name carries weight for good reason. For centuries, India was the world’s only known source of diamonds, and the stones traded through the Golconda region are famed for a limpid, almost liquid clarity. Many of the most storied diamonds in history, including the Koh-i-Noor, are associated with those Indian deposits, and many Golconda stones are Type IIa. Pink diamonds owe their color not to a trace element but to distortion in the crystal structure as the stone formed deep underground, which is part of why large, evenly colored pinks are so scarce.

Why does a 1950s Bulgari ring matter?

Bulgari was founded in Rome in 1884 by Sotirios Voulgaris, a Greek silversmith, and its Via Condotti shop became a Roman landmark in the early twentieth century. The 1950s were the decade that turned the family jeweler into an international name. Rome was “Hollywood on the Tiber,” with American productions filming at Cinecittà, and film stars and society clients found their way to Via Condotti.

It was also the decade when Bulgari moved away from the French-influenced, platinum-and-diamond look of the prewar years toward the bold, colorful, gold-forward style the house is known for today. A major pink diamond mounted in that period is a document of the moment Roman jewelry found its own voice. For collectors, that maker’s signature and period provenance can add a premium beyond the stone alone.

A pink diamond of this size, unseen at auction for seventy years, is less a lot than a chapter of Roman jewelry history coming to light.

How does the estimate compare with other pink diamonds?

The two most useful benchmarks both sold at Christie’s in Geneva. In November 2018, the Pink Legacy, a rectangular stone of nearly 19 carats graded Fancy Vivid pink and once owned by the Oppenheimer family, sold for more than $50 million with fees, according to CBS News. In November 2022, the 18.18-carat pear-shaped Fortune Pink, also Fancy Vivid, sold for CHF 28.4 million, about $28.8 million, as Fortune reported.

In our view, the Bulgari Pink’s lower estimate, despite its greater weight, reflects one key difference: color grade. “Fancy Vivid” is the most saturated grade and commands the highest prices; “Fancy Intense,” one step below, is still highly desirable but typically priced at a meaningful discount. That makes the Bulgari Pink a different proposition, with size, purity, provenance and a vintage maker’s signature carrying more of the story. Our earlier look at the Graff Pink shows how a famous name can shape a pink diamond’s reputation over decades.

What else is selling in Geneva that week?

The Bulgari Pink arrives alongside a second Christie’s event: Exceptional Jewels & Objects of Elegance: A Connoisseur’s Collection, a single-owner group of nearly 300 pieces that Christie’s expects to bring more than $25 million, per Forbes. Its lead lot is another pink, a 14.63-carat fancy orangy-pink diamond ring by David Morris, estimated at up to CHF 2.1 million (about $1.6 million to $2.6 million, per Forbes), as Rapaport details. We previewed that collection in Christie’s Geneva, November 2026, and the wider pink diamond market in our report on the last Argyle pinks.

For the collector

• Auction estimate: CHF 10 million to 15 million (about $12 million to $18 million at the time of writing). Christie’s adds a buyer’s premium on top of the hammer price, so the final cost is higher; confirm terms with Christie’s directly.
• Where to see it: Christie’s will show the ring at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva from November 5 to 10, per Rapaport. Bidding requires registration with Christie’s in advance.
• What drives value: Color grade comes first in pink diamonds, then size, then clarity and cut. Type IIa purity, a fresh-to-market history and a period Bulgari mount are the added layers here.
• What to watch for: The catalogue’s laboratory report, including any statement on origin, and whether the ring is offered as mounted or with the stone’s grading noted separately. A possible Golconda origin is not yet confirmed.
• A word on value: Past auction prices do not predict future value, and colored diamond prices can move with the wider market.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the Bulgari Pink diamond worth?

Christie’s estimates it at CHF 10 million to 15 million, about $12 million to $18 million. The final price will be set at auction on November 10, 2026.

When and where is the Bulgari Pink being auctioned?

It leads Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva on November 10, 2026.

What does Type IIa mean for a diamond?

Type IIa diamonds contain almost no nitrogen, which makes them chemically very pure. They represent fewer than 2% of gem-quality diamonds.

Is the Bulgari Pink a Golconda diamond?

Not confirmed. Family history says the rough came from India in the 1950s, and Forbes reports it may come from the Golconda mines.

Sources: Forbes · Rapaport · Antiques & Art Ireland · Rapaport (Connoisseur’s Collection) · CBS News · Fortune