Sotheby 's loses a diamond
The rare pink diamond set for auction last week in Sotheby's New York City gallery was, like the venerable institution, one of a kind. Appraisers at the 239-year-old auction house had estimated the value of the nearly flawless 9.58-carat gem at more than half a million dollars. But the day before the diamond was due to be auctioned, Sotheby's officials had a problem: the stone was missing.
Police and FBI officials were as mystified as the management of Sotheby's. The gem, known as Lot 296 and owned by a consortium of Japanese businessmen, had been protected by armed...
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