<p>A rare "pigeon blood" ruby has fetched a record-breaking USD 30.33 million at an auction here while a rare pink diamond that may have originated from the famous Golconda mines in India has sold for USD 15.9 million.</p>.<p><br />The 25.59 carat ruby sold for USD 30.33 million, more than twice its estimated price, to an anonymous telephone bidder, Sotheby's auction house said.</p>.<p><br />The gem from Myanmar, part of a collection of Cartier jewels up for auction, had been expected to sell for between USD 12 million and USD 18 million.<br /><br />It set a record for a ruby and was also a record for a Cartier jewel at auction, Sotheby's said.<br /><br />At the spring Magnificent Jewels and Nobel Jewels auction, an "extremely rare" fancy vivid pink diamond weighing 8.72 carats sold for USD 15.9 million.<br /><br />The stone, known as "The Historic Pink", is believed to have been part of the collection of Princess Mathilde, niece of French Emperor Napoleon I.<br /><br />The exquisite 8.72 carat stone only recently resurfaced, having been kept in a bank vault since the 1940s.<br /><br />While origins of the stone remain unclear, it may have been found in the famous Golconda mines near Hyderabad, according to David Bennett, head of Sotheby's international jewellery division. </p>
<p>A rare "pigeon blood" ruby has fetched a record-breaking USD 30.33 million at an auction here while a rare pink diamond that may have originated from the famous Golconda mines in India has sold for USD 15.9 million.</p>.<p><br />The 25.59 carat ruby sold for USD 30.33 million, more than twice its estimated price, to an anonymous telephone bidder, Sotheby's auction house said.</p>.<p><br />The gem from Myanmar, part of a collection of Cartier jewels up for auction, had been expected to sell for between USD 12 million and USD 18 million.<br /><br />It set a record for a ruby and was also a record for a Cartier jewel at auction, Sotheby's said.<br /><br />At the spring Magnificent Jewels and Nobel Jewels auction, an "extremely rare" fancy vivid pink diamond weighing 8.72 carats sold for USD 15.9 million.<br /><br />The stone, known as "The Historic Pink", is believed to have been part of the collection of Princess Mathilde, niece of French Emperor Napoleon I.<br /><br />The exquisite 8.72 carat stone only recently resurfaced, having been kept in a bank vault since the 1940s.<br /><br />While origins of the stone remain unclear, it may have been found in the famous Golconda mines near Hyderabad, according to David Bennett, head of Sotheby's international jewellery division. </p>