Brussels 22.05.2021 The Sakura diamond a massive 15.81 carat purple-pink internally flawless gemstone is expected to gain between $25-35 million when it goes on sale at Christie’s in Hong Kong on Sunday, May 23.

The rare stone is set on a simple platinum ring and has been classified as internally flawless, meaning that any blemishes are only visible under close magnification. It has also been classed as being “fancy vivid,” a measure of intense colour achieved by only 4% of pink diamonds, according to a press release from Christie’s, the auction house organising the sale.

Chairman of Christie’s jewelry department, Vickie Sek, said in a phone interview with CNN that the stone is “exactly” the shade of a sakura flower. She added that it is “very rare” for pink diamonds to be classified as internally flawless, as they usually contain “a lot of graining.”

The Sakura -named after the Japanese word for cherry blossom, due to its vibrant hue -is the largest purple-pink “flawless” diamond ever to appear at auction.