Ramat Gan-based Leibish & Co, one of the world's leading online resources for fancy coloured diamond, deals with some of the most beautiful diamonds on a daily basis. Similar to many other industries, the company attends various diamond exhibitions, events and trade fairs.

In 2011, Shmulik Polnauer, Leibish & Co's GG GIA chief buyer, took part in the exclusive Argyle Pink Diamond Tender.  The tender is an invitation-only event, where the participants are allotted the opportunity to submit a single bid on the very best pink or red diamonds from Australia’s Argyle mine that year. The highest bid for each stone wins. Leibish & Co won six of the 55 stones tendered.

Shmulik made the decision to re-polish one of the stones he won in this year's tender. The stone was originally a 1.71-carat, fancy intense purplish pink, radiant-shaped diamond. By re-cutting the stone, he managed – losing only three points – to significantly upgrade its colour intensity. The 1.68-carat, I1 stone was one of the largest Argyle vivid pinks available in the market today, Leibish & Co said.

Many clients of the Chinese persuasion strongly believe that specific numbers have a lucky meaning. One of the luckiest combinations of numbers in the Chinese language is 168, pronounced "yi liu ba" meaning "one-six-eight." The numbers rhyme with "yāo liù bā" which is translated to "forever wealthy." In English, it loosely means "to keep being rich," "to keep making money," "want smooth prosperity" or "road to prosperity."

 

Interestingly enough, the term used in the diamond industry when any diamond exchange is made is "Mazal," the fancy coloured diamond dealer said. In English, "Mazal” means "luck," "prosperity" and "success."

"Aside from its obviously extreme rarity and exquisite beauty, this 1.68-carat, fancy vivid purplish pink, radiant-shaped diamond is now considered by many to be a true sign of a path to prosperity," Leibish & Co said.