EDMONTON - It's a rare rock the colour of bubble gum, and it costs a cool $2.5 million.
One of the world's largest pink diamonds, owned by a unnamed private collector, is making its first appearance in Canada at the Birks jewelry store in downtown Edmonton.
It's the shining star of a collection of 45 precious stones and jewelry pieces that is scheduled to move across the country -- unless it finds a buyer.
Birks spokeswoman Eva Hartling said several potential buyers have booked private appointments to see the pink ring before the trunk show closes in Edmonton on Tuesday.
She said the diamond is special.
"There are always different shades of pink that a diamond can have," she said. "What's special in this case is that, when you look inside the diamond, you have very specific purple and pink hues.
"So combined, that gives it a very special bubble gum colour."
Hartling said what makes the diamond even more rare is its size. The 10-carat gem was cut and polished from a rough 21.35-carat stone mined in South Africa. It's set in a platinum ring.
Most pink diamonds come from the Argyle mine in Australia, where a 12.76-carat rock was recently discovered. Hartling said once that pink diamond is cut, it will weigh in at about 7 or 8 carats.
Christie's auction house, one of the most well-known resellers of diamonds in the world, has only auctioned 18 polished pink diamonds over 10 carats in the past three centuries, said Hartling.
Two years ago, a pink diamond was sold by Circa Auctions in Toronto for $2.3 million, making it the priciest auctioned gem in Canadian history.
Pink diamonds may be most well-known for stirring the plot of the classic Pink Panther movies. Ben Affleck also proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a huge pink rock. Hartling said shortly after the celebrity couple's short-lived engagement, coloured engagement rings became a trend.
She added the bubble gum ring has never really been worn by its owner. It's a collector's piece, and she suspects any new buyer will add it to a collection as well.
"It would be somebody who really knows diamonds or somebody who wants to own something extra special," she said. "This is not the kind of ring you put on everyday to go to work."
That didn't stop curious customer Lori Menshik from halting her search for some new diamond earrings to try on the pink sparklie.
"That's gorgeous. Oh my God, look at how it sparkles. It's like a dance," Menshik swooned.
"Some girl's gonna get this one day."
