The 31.68-carat fancy vivid orange-pink Desert Rose diamond is included in Sotheby's Abu Dhabi jewellery auction from December 2 to 5 this year. The stone in the jewellery and watch collection, marked by one owner, is valued at $5 - $7 million.
According to Sotheby's, the pear-shaped stone is the largest fancy vivid orange-pink diamond ever valued. The auction house displayed the Desert Rose at its exhibition, "Beyond: The World's Rarest Diamonds," which it held in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in April.
It was the auction house's first public exhibition in Abu Dhabi since 2009. Rare colored gemstones valued at over $100 million were on offer, including the Mediterranean Blue, a rare 10-carat fancy vivid blue diamond that was sold for $21.5 million at Sotheby’s Geneva High Jewellery auction in May.
The Desert Rose is set to be the top lot in the sale of traditional single-owner jewelry and watches.
The auction will also feature a Rolex “Oyster Albino” Daytona (est. $500,000 – $1 million). Made in the late 1960s and early 1970s, it features monochrome silver-toned main and subdials, a departure from the standard Cosmograph Daytona aesthetic with its signature contrasting dials.
Only a few examples of this watch are known to exist, one of which was once worn by singer and guitarist Eric Clapton, an avid watch collector, and was later sold at auction many years ago.
The Collectors Week also features car auctions, held just before the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Among them are a 2017 Pagani Zonda 760 Riviera (estimated at $9.5 million to $10.5 million), a rare 2010 Aston Martin One-77 (estimated at $1.3 million to $1.6 million), and a joint McLaren Racing and RM Sotheby's offering of three different cars.
Hélène Tarin, Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
