One of the world’s rarest and most expensive cut diamonds has gone on display in London.
The Pink Star is the most valuable cut diamond ever to be auctioned and is expected to sell for more than £48.4 million.
The 59.6-carat coloured gemstone, which is described as one of earth’s greatest natural treasures, was sold for more than £52 million at an auction in Switzerland in 2013 but is back on the market after the sale defaulted.
The most expensive diamond ever to be sold at auction is the Oppenheimer Blue, which was bought for £35 million at Christie’s auction house in Geneva last year.
David Bennett, from Sotheby's, said: "At a time of unprecedented demand for the finest in coloured diamonds, I am delighted to be bringing this magnificent stone back to the market.
"The extraordinary size of this 59.60-carat diamond, paired with its richness of colour, surpasses any known pink diamond recorded in history."
Mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999, the 132.5-carat rough diamond was cut and polished over a period of two years.
Reporting by Press Association.