Just imagine if she were to have a bat mitzvah. Hong Kong billionaire and fugitive from justice Joseph Lau reportedly purchased the two top record-setting lots at this week’s Geneva auctions. A spokesperson told CNN that the diamonds were gifts to his daughter Josephine, who is 7.
On Nov. 10, the real estate magnate bought a 16.08 ct. pink diamond at Christie’s for $28.5 million, setting a record for a fancy vivid pink. He renamed it the Sweet Josephine. The next day, he bought the 12.03 ct. Blue Moon for $48.5 million, which is the highest price ever paid for a diamond bought at auction, both in overall price and price per carat. Lau renamed it the Blue Moon of Josephine. Total price: $77 million.
In 2009, he bought the 7.03 ct. blue diamond at Sotheby’s for $9.5 million and dubbed it the Star of Josephine.
Lau’s other daughter, Zoe, has also been getting more than Barbie dolls. In November 2014, he bought a 9.75 ct. blue at Sotheby’s for $32.6 million and christened it the Zoe diamond. That same year, he bought a 10.1 ct. ruby, now named the Zoe Red, for $8.4 million, or $835,000 per ct. That’s the second highest-price paid for a ruby at auction.
