October 11th, 2021
Beautiful, rare and mystified objects have always attracted people since the dawn of times. It may sound pretty dramatic but some of these objects even resulted in wars. However, this is perhaps the reason why people still enquire for the world’s most famous diamonds and also the most expensive diamond in the world. Interestingly, both the lists will be the same.
There is ideally no one in this world who can take off their eyes from the cosmic sparkle of a diamond. With its beauty, sparkle and rarity, diamonds have mesmerised everyone besides the gemologists over the years. The world of gemstone has seen several diamonds to break old price records and set new records in big auctions globally.
All diamonds are mined from the Earth and they are among the sought-after mining elements in the world. These prized gemstones form at 500km under the Earth’s crust, usually 3 billion years old. When carbon gets exposed to immense heat and pressure, it creates diamonds. The rarest diamonds are enormous in size and have outstanding clarity and colour.
A diamond is one of the most valuable gemstones in the world, considered the ultimate mark of wealth if you own one. Diamond buyers and gemstone specialists know how much worthy an investment diamonds are as they typically increase in prices and fetch premium prices.
So what are the most expensive diamonds in the world? Keep reading to know about them. And yes, you may go crazy over them.
The iconic Koh-I-Noor diamond tops the list of the most expensive diamond in the world. The term ‘Koh-I-Noor’ means ‘Mountain of the light’ in Persia and is also referred to as the ‘Diamond of Babur’. This mesmerizing diamond weighs about 105.6ct and is oval-shaped. The legend says that Koh-I-Noor was extracted in India during the 1300s.
When British defeated the Punjab, the diamond was transferred controversially to Queen Victoria. Then, Prince Albert acquire the diamond in 1852 and had it cut to 105.6ct from 186ct. Eventually, it increased the stone’s sparkle and brilliance. So, this colourless oval-shaped gemstone is today a part of the British Crown.
Millions of people visit the Tower of London ever year to see the Koh-I-Noor, the central gemstone in the Queen Mother’s crown. However, the real worth of the diamond remains unknown as it is astronomically priced.
The Cullinan Diamond is the biggest rough diamond ever discovered, weighing originally a jaw-dropping 3,106.75ct. This massive gemstone was discovered in 1905 at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa. However, it is today a collection of 105 gemstones featuring different cuts.
Interestingly, the diamond got its name after the Premier mine’s chairman, Thomas Cullinan. The diamond was cut into nine key gemstones totaling 1,055.89ct and ninety six minor stones and unpolished components.
Also referred to as the ‘Great Star of Africa’, the Cullinan I is the largest gemstone of 530.4 carats. And it is the world’s biggest clear-cut diamond. Queen Elizabeth II owns this diamond; whereas, the Cullinan II is present at the Imperial State Crown. Both the diamonds are in The Jewel House at the Tower of London.
The recent value of this priceless diamond is not known. However, the rough Cullinan Diamond today would have worth more than £293 million.
The third in our list of the most expensive diamonds is the Hope Diamond, weighing about 45.52 carats. This costly gemstone originated in Kollur Mine, India and is recognised for its rare blue colour. However, there is no record when the Hope Diamond was discovered. But its ownership dates back to more than 400 years.
Harry Winston, the American gemstone dealer, bought the diamond in 1949 and offered it to the National Museum of Natural History, United States in 1958. As per the estimate, the value of the diamond is between £146 million and £256 million.
Does the Hope Diamond looks familiar to you? It is likely as The Heart of the Ocean in the legendary Titanic movie was the inspiration for this rare stone.
This is the third largest diamond weighing 273.85 carat that came from the Premier Mine in South Africa. The first two gems are the Cullinan I and II. However, the Centenary Diamond originally was of 599 carats. Later, Gabi Tolkowsky with his team cut the stone into a heart shape keeping in a vibration free chamber.
The diamond has the D colour grade that is the best quality for colourless diamonds. There is no record of the diamond owner and purchase price of this gemstone. However, De Beers insured it for more than £73.35 million.
Also Read: 6 Luxury Watches Endowed With the Magic of Gemstones
As per the Gemological Institute of America, the Pink Star is the biggest flawless vivid pink diamond in the world. It was initially known as the ‘Steinmetz Pink’. The diamond fetched an astronomical sum of nearly £52.24 million at Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong. Dr. Henry Cheng Kas-Shun, the chairman of the jeweller Chow Tai Fook, bought the stone and renamed it to CTF Pink Star.
The De Beers South African diamond mines unearthed the diamond in 1999. However, the Steinmetz Group bought the rough stone of 132.5 carats and cut it intricately using eight polishers over 20 months to its current 59.6ct weight.
So the expensive Pink Star has ‘Fancy Vivid Pink’ grade and is internally flawless.
Legends say that a slave discovered this magnificent diamond in the Kollur Mine in India in 1698. He hid the stone in his own wound bandages in a leg. However, an English sea captain killed the man and sold the diamond to a merchant from India. Later, the stone went to the hands of the British governor of Madras, Thomas Pitt and named it as the Pitt Diamond.
In 1977, Philippe II Duke of Orleans purchased the gemstone. Moreover, it embellished Louis XV’s crown during his coronation in 1722, followed by Marie Antoinette’s hat. However, the French state is the owner of the Regent Diamond today and has been at the Louvre museum since 1887.
The cushion-shaped Regent Diamond is internally flawless and contains a bluish fluorescence. It tops the list of the world’s most beautiful diamond that worth about £44 million.
The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond made a new world record in 2016, selling for a record-making £42.19 million, including commission and fees at the Christie’s in Geneva. However, the magnificent Pink Star broke this record in 2017. The vivid blue diamond acquired the name from its previous owner – Sir Philip Oppenheimer, a British diamond collector and dealer.
This emerald-cut diamond weighs 14.62 carat and comes in a platinum ring a colourless trapeze-shaped diamond on either side.
Another magnificent extraction at the Cullinan mine in South Africa is the Blue Moon of Josephine. This is a flawless blue diamond of 12.03 carat that sold for £35.52 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2015 in Geneva.
Interestingly, it was the first time that a diamond ever sold for more than £2.94 million per carat. The Gemological Institute of America graded only four among the 400 blue diamonds as vivid blue.
However, Joseph Lau Luen Hung, a businessman of Hong Kong, purchased the Blue Moon Diamond and renamed it ‘The Blue Moon of Josephine’. His daughter’s name was Josephine.
The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond originated from the mines of Kollur in Andhra Pradesh, India during the 1600s. This marvelous gemstone has a colour grade of Fancy Deep Blue, weighing 31.06 carats. Billionaire Laurence Graff purchased the diamond for £17.83 million at Christie’s auction in 2008, making a world record.
At that time, the stone had a fancy greyish blue colour and a total weight of 35.56 carats. The new owner decided to apply some retouches to the 360 years old diamond to obtain an ideal brilliance and clarity. During the process, the gem lost about 4.52 carat but attained a higher grade based on the GIA.
The diamond today features the most sought-after ‘fancy deep blue’ colour. Moreover, it now has IF or Internally Flawless rating.
The Golconda Mines in India extracted The Princie diamond over 300 years ago. This 36.65ct stone has Fancy Intense Pink grading. However, the appealing fact is that the colour becomes orangey-red in ultraviolet light.
The diamond is named after Sayajirao Gaekwad, the son of Sita Devi who is the Maharanee of Baroda. Christie’s auction house presented the gemstone for sale in New York and an anonymous phone bidder bought it for about £28.84 million.
Just imagine a diamond with an orange hue, it is an extraordinarily rare combination. The Orange is a pear-shaped diamond of 14.82 carats that gets the orange colour from the nitrogen elements. The Gemological Institute of America graded this rare diamond as the largest ‘Fancy Vivid Orange’. It fetched about £26.06 million at Christie’s 2013 Magnificent Jewels Sale in Geneva.
Harry Winston bought this blue diamond in 2014 for £17.47 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Sale in Geneva. The original name of the diamond was The Blue but Harry Winston’s CEO, Nayla Hayek renamed it as The Winston Blue.
The diamond weighs 13.22ct and the Geological Institute of Anerica certifies it as Fancy Vivid Blue and Flawless clarity. The pear-shaped Winston Blue is edged by two colourless diamonds.
The Perfect Pink was among the 18 pink diamonds to weigh over 10 carat and appear at auction. Moreover, it is the only diamond among these 18 diamonds that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) graded as Fancy Intense Perfect Pink.
Christie’s auction in Hong Kong sold the Perfect Pink diamond in 2010 for about £17 million to an unknown bidder. However, this gemstone comes mounted on an 18ct rose gold and gold, encircled by two diamonds on either side.
The Archduke Joseph is among the costliest colourless diamonds ever sold at auction. This colourless cushion-shaped elongated diamond is named after Archduke Joseph August of Austria. The stone was in possession of the family for many years. Later, Molina Fine Jewellers of Phoenix bought the diamond.
However, the diamond was recut to 76.45 carats from the original 78.54 carats. In 2002, the stone added more gleam to the appearance of Singer Celine Dion that accompanied her for a television special. Later in 2012, an unknown bidder bought the magnificent Archduke Joseph Diamond for £15.75 million at Christie’s auction in Geneva.
This 27.64-carat gemstone is a Fancy Vivid Blue diamond, unearthed in the Premier Mine in South Africa. The Heart of Eternity is unique because of its heart shape. The Steinmetz Group cut the gemstone and then the De Beers Group purchased it. The London’s Millennium Dome diamond heist’s prime target was this majestic heart shape blue diamond. However, the Metropolitan Police hindered the plot.
No one knows who owns this rare blue diamond today. However, according to the rumours, Floyd Mayweather purchased the Heart of Eternity necklace to present his ex-fiance.
In general, diamonds are among the most precious elements in the world. They will continue to retain their value with time and sell for astronomical prices in the market. It’s not surprising as they are among the most coveted collectables in the world and thus, their prices continue to appreciate.
If you are looking to sell your diamond, get in touch with The Luxury Hut today. Fill in our form and get a free competitive valuation instantly. However, if you have an emotional attachment to your precious gem but want access to some fast cash, you can choose to get a loan against your diamond. Call on 0207 242 9160 for any enquiry you have on our pawnbroking or selling services.
Also Read: What Are the Most Expensive Watches in the World?
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