Rare pink diamond sold for record-breaking $17.4M

WASHINGTON – A rare pink diamond was sold for a record-breaking price in an auction in Hong Kong Tuesday.

The diamond — the biggest of its kind ever to be sold — was purchased by an anonymous telephone bidder for about $17.4 million U.S. dollars.

The Martian Pink diamond is extremely rare, the BBC reports.

The 12-carat jewel got its name in 1976 when it was sold by Harry Winston, the same year the U.S. sent up a satellite to Mars. The gem was named for the color of the planet.

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