31-Carat ‘Desert Rose’ Diamond Could Fetch Up to $7 Million at Abu Dhabi Auction

ABU DHABI, November 27, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Sotheby’s will hold a series of auctions, exhibitions, masterclasses, and panel discussions in Abu Dhabi from December 2 to 5 at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort as part of “Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week.” Most auctions will take place on December 5, offering high jewelry, rare timepieces, collectors’ cars, exclusive real estate, and other luxury items.

Timed to coincide with one of the region’s busiest weeks — including the Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Milken Institute Middle East and Africa Summit 2025, Abu Dhabi Finance Week, and Bitcoin MENA — the events are expected to attract a global audience of collectors, tastemakers, and industry leaders.

The auctions follow Sotheby’s inaugural sale in Saudi Arabia in April and reflect the growing presence of Middle Eastern countries in the global art, luxury, and cultural sectors. Saadiyat Island, the location of the events, is home to institutions such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Zayed National Museum.

Unlike the Saudi Arabia sale, which focused primarily on fine art, the Abu Dhabi auctions will center on luxury goods.

The 31.86-Carat ‘Desert Rose’ Diamond

The headline lot is “The Desert Rose,” a 31.86-carat fancy vivid orangy-pink diamond, the largest of its kind ever graded. Making its auction debut, the pear-shaped stone was first exhibited by Sotheby’s in “Beyond: The World’s Rarest Diamonds” in Abu Dhabi last April. It carries an estimate of $5 million to $7 million.

The diamond is part of a single-owner sale featuring vintage and contemporary signed jewelry, diamonds, colored gemstones, and both vintage and modern timepieces collected over decades. The collection is expected to achieve more than $20 million.

Among the standout timepieces is the complete four-watch set of Patek Philippe’s Star Caliber 2000 pocket watches, considered among the most technically sophisticated ever made. Estimated at more than $10 million, the set holds the second-highest pre-sale estimate for any watch at auction.

Created to mark the millennium, the Star Caliber 2000 contains 21 complications, 1,118 components, and six patented innovations, including mechanisms for the chime, running equation of time, sunrise and sunset display, and rapid calendar correction. Its Westminster Chimes reproduce the sound of London’s Big Ben, striking two identical tones in immediate succession — which Sotheby’s says is unmatched by any other timepiece.

The watches were produced in four different precious metals: yellow, rose, and white gold, and platinum. Patek Philippe made 20 pieces in five sets, each containing four watches. Four sets used multiple metals; one set was made entirely in platinum.

Another highlight is the Rolex Oyster “Albino” Daytona, reference 6263, produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Known for its rare monochromatic silver dial and subdials, it departs from the usual contrasting design of the model and is estimated at $500,000 to $1 million.

RM Sotheby’s × McLaren: The Triple Crown Project

A centerpiece of Collectors’ Week will be a collaboration between RM Sotheby’s and McLaren Racing, offering three future competition cars representing McLaren’s racing portfolio. Known as the Triple Crown Project, the offering includes:

• A 2026 McLaren Formula 1 Team car

• A 2027 McLaren United AS racer for the World Endurance Championship

• A 2026 Arrow McLaren INDYCAR, set to compete in the Indianapolis 500

The trio will cross the auction block on December 5 during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Buyers will receive VIP experiences including factory tours, race access, and preferential purchase opportunities. Sotheby’s has not disclosed the estimate.

Other collectors’ cars include:

• 2017 Pagani Zonda 760 Riviera, based on the Zonda F, with 750 hp and unique factory upgrades, estimated at $9.5 million to $10.5 million

• 2010 Aston Martin One-77, one of 77 produced, capable of 220 mph, estimated at $1.3 million to $1.6 million

Jane Birkin’s Hermès ‘Le Birkin Voyageur’

The auction also includes the Hermès Le Birkin Voyageur, one of only four Birkin bags owned by the late British actor and singer Jane Birkin (1946–2023), who inspired the design. Gifted to her by Hermès, the bag features a handwritten message inside and is estimated at $230,000 to $430,000.

The offering follows the record-breaking sale of Birkin’s original prototype handbag at Sotheby’s Paris in July, which achieved $10.1 million, making it the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction.

Real Estate Lots

The sale includes two international real estate offerings:

• A 7,297-square-foot, six-bedroom waterfront estate on 0.72 acres in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera, listed at €35 million ($40.6 million).

• A €19 million ($23.2 million) investment in a Zaha Hadid-designed apartment-hotel building in Graz, Austria, comprising 21 serviced apartments managed by Limehome and a 1,942-square-meter penthouse suitable for private or rental use.

Collectors’ Week is being organized in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), which recently acquired a minority equity stake in Sotheby’s. ADIO previously collaborated with Sotheby’s on its first Saudi Arabia auction, held in October during “The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025 presented by ADQ.”