Largest diamond ever sold at auction fetches $27 million The 101.73 carat "Winston Legacy" diamond, the centrepiece of the Magnificent Jewels auction, was bought by jewellery and watch firm Harry Winston for 25.9 million Swiss francs ($26.7 million) on Wednesday. The diamond was unearthed in Botswana. "Harry Winston acquired the most perfect diamond ever offered for sale at auction," said Rahul Kadakia, head of Jewellery, Christie's Switzerland and Americas, The auction took in a record total of $102 million for 257 lots, showing that the appetite for gems remains undiminished. "World record prices were set for diamonds, pearls and sapphires, thereby firmly establishing the international appetite for the most beautiful gems and jewels," Kadakia added in a statement. On Tuesday, a set of diamond and natural pearl earrings belonging to Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida sold for $2.37 million at rival auctioneer Sotheby's, an auction record. The 85-year-old actress, who starred opposite Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and other top actors in the 1950s and 1960s, said she was selling the jewellery partly to fund an international hospital for stem cell treatment.