The Princie Diamond — A 34-Carat Golconda Pink with 300 Years of History

Golconda pink diamonds occupy a category of their own. The Golconda mines of south-central India — exhausted since the eighteenth century — produced virtually every significant diamond known to the ancient and medieval world, and their stones are distinguished by a specific gemological signature: Type IIa chemistry (no measurable nitrogen), exceptional transparency, and a particular optical quality that dealers describe as 'an internal light.' The Princie, certified by the GIA as Type IIa and of Golconda origin, carried all of these characteristics in a 34.65-carat package — a size that places it among the largest pink diamonds ever discovered. The stone's provenance is as remarkable as its geology: it passed through the collections of the Nizams of Hyderabad, one of the richest royal families of the British colonial era, before being consigned to auction by a branch of the family. The US$39.3 million result set a record that stood for two years, until the Blue Moon of Josephine surpassed it in 2015 — but the Princie's combination of size, origin, and documented history makes it, for many collectors, the more extraordinary stone.