Update Oct. 31, 2019: A New York appellate court on Thursday put the case on hold while it hears an appeal filed by the defendants.

This is the story of one of those diamonds so exquisite it was given a cute little name : the Princie.

Yet d espite its diminutive moniker, the Princie is a big stone — 34.65 carats — that sparkles in the cheerful color of a flamingo and is valued at $40 million. It was last known to be packed away in a storage facility in Switzerland, where it was sent by a member of the Qatari royal family after he bought it.

But is that where it should be?

That question is the subject of a trial about to begin this week in New York Supreme Court where an Italian family has accused Christie’s, the auction house, of selling the diamond despite accusations that it had been stolen.