Some Of The Most Expensive Diamonds Of All Time
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Some Of The Most Expensive Diamonds Of All Time
Of the world's most expensive diamonds, pink colours dominate the list with blue colours close behind. Pink diamonds account for only a tiny fraction of all mined diamonds.
Only 1 in 10,000 diamonds classifies as a fancy colour which includes pinks, blues, oranges, greens or any colour which is outside the colourless diamond’s D-Z scale. The rarity of fancy diamonds explains why they achieve such significant prices.
10 Of The Some Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold At Auction
Although not strictly the top 10 ten most expensive diamonds sold at auction, below are some of the world’s most expensive diamonds that were sold at auction. The list gives you a good sense of what natural coloured diamonds can be worth. Prices given are approximate.
1 - The Pink Star Diamond - $71.2M
This 59.6 carat oval diamond is internally flawless and the largest of its kind. The diamond was mined by De Beers in 1999 in South Africa. The 132.5 carat rough stone was subsequently cut by the Steinmetz diamond group which took nearly 2 years according to the BBC.
In April 2017, it was sold at auction at Sotheby’s for a record breaking price, making it the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction. Purchased by Chinese Luxury Jeweler Chow Tai Fook who renamed the diamond the CTF Pink Star Diamond.
2 - The Williamson Pink Star Diamond - $57.7M
Weighing 11.15 carats, this internally flawless fancy vivid pink diamond was cut from a much larger 32.32 carat rough stone mined at the Williamson mine in Tanzania. Shaped into a cushion cut gemstone to maximise its brilliance.
When it was sold at auction in 2022, it set the highest ever price paid per carat for a gemstone at auction.
Its remarkable pink colour is thought to be caused by rare distortions in the diamond's crystal structure rather than impurities within the lattice unlike yellow or blue diamonds.
3 - The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond - $57.5M
Weighing 14.62 carats, the emerald cut gem is classified as a fancy blue diamond. Its intense blue colour comes from the trace element boron within the crystal structure.
Named after Sir Phillip Oppenheimer, the gem sold at auction in 2016 at Christie’s for what was at the time, the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction.
4 - De Beers Blue Diamond - $57.5M
The 15.1 carat, the step cut diamond is classified as a fancy vivid blue diamond, the highest colour-intensity grade for blue diamonds. Discovered in 2021 at the famous Cullinan mine in South Africa as a 39.34 rough stone and sold for an astonishing sum in 2022 at Sotheby’s auction house.
5 - The Winston Pink Legacy Diamond - $50.4M
Graded as a fancy vivid pink diamond with fancy vivid pink, with VS1 clarity, weighing 18.96 carats - the diamond belongs to the exceptionally rare type IIa category. The diamond was mined in Africa around 1918 and cut into a distinctive cut cornered rectangular shape.
In 2018, the diamond was sold at a Christie’s auction event setting a world record for the price paid per carat for a pink diamond at the time. Shortly after, the renowned jewellery house Harry Winston renamed the gem to what it’s known as today.
6 - The Blue Moon Of Josephine Diamond - $48.4M
Discovered in 2014 in the Cullinan mine in South Africa weighing 29.62 carats. Classified as a fancy vivid blue diamond, it was subsequently cut into a 12.03 carat cushion cut gem.
When it was sold at Sotheby's in 2015, it set a world record at the time for the highest price ever paid per carat for a diamond.
7 - The Graff Pink Diamond - $46.2M
Classified as a fancy intense pink diamond and weighing in at an impressive 24.78 carats, the Graff Pink diamond is a rare natural beauty. Originally owned by renowned jeweller Harry Winston, the diamond was sold in 2010 at a world record breaking price for the highest ever paid for a jewel at auction at the time.
Purchased by Laurence Graff, he had it recut to improve its brilliance & colour. It now weighs 23.88 carats.
8 - The Princie Diamond - $39.3M
Another rare & famous pink diamond. The cushion-cut fancy pink diamond weighing 34.65 carats is thought to have originated from the Golconda mines in India, a region known for producing some of the worlds finest diamonds.
The gem was discovered centuries ago and was part of the treasury of the royal family of Hyderabad. Named after the young Prince of Baroda. In 1960, the renowned jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels purchased the diamond which held onto it for over 50 years. In 2013 however they sold it at Christie’s auction house.
9 - The Orange Diamond - $35.5M
With a weight of 14.82 carats, it is the largest known fancy vivid orange diamond. When it was sold at auction in 2013, it set the world record for any diamond sold at auction at the time. It is unlike many orange diamonds which often exhibit a yellow or brown secondary hue.
10 - The Sakura Diamond - $29.3M
Another incredible fancy vivid pink diamond, with a slight purplish shade, with a weight of 15.81 carats. Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom & in May 2021 the diamond was sold at Christie’s auction house.
Although not confirmed, some people think that the diamond likely came from the Argyle mine in Australia, which is renowned for producing rare pink diamonds.
10 Of Some The Most Expensive Colourless Diamonds Of All Time
Below are some of the world’s most expensive diamonds,
1 - The Art Of De Grisogono Diamond - $33.7M
This diamond is a huge 163.41 carat rectangular/ emerald style cut diamond. It was cut from the 4 de Fevereiro rough diamond that weighed 404.2 carats, that was discovered in the Lulo mine in Angola.
It was the largest flawless D colour diamond ever sold at auction at the time in 2017, set in a necklace design. According to Forbes magazine, it took 10 diamond cutting specialists 11 months to cut the stone.
2 - The Winston Legacy Diamond - $26.7M
This 101.73 carat, pear-shaped diamond is graded D colour & has flawless clarity. Originally cut from a 236 carat rough diamond discovered at the Jwaneng mine in Botswana. Harry Winston paid $26.7M for the diamond in 2013.
3 - Perfect Diamond - $22.1M
The D colour, internally flawless, type IIa gemstone weighs 100.2 carats. It was the only diamond of its kind (at the time) in an emerald cut to come to auction over 100 carats and sold in 2015 in New York.
4 - The Rock Diamond - $21.9M
The Rock diamond was the largest diamond ever sold at auction in 2022, according to CNN. It weighs an incredible 228.31 carats & is larger than a golf ball. It is graded a G colour with VS1 clarity with a pear shape cut.
5 - Archduke Joseph Diamond - $21.5M
Historically, this famous cushion-cut diamond, D colour & internally flawless set the world record for a colourless diamond when it sold at Christie’s in 2012.
The diamond was first documented to have belonged to Archduke Joseph in 1933. Throughout the war, the diamond was kept safe and resurfaced at auction in London in 1961. In 1993 the diamond sold for $6.5M. It was later recut from its original 78.5 carats to 76.02 carats to improve its clarity.
6 - The Light Of Africa - $20.0M
This emerald cut, D colour, flawless diamond was discovered in 2021 in the Cullinan diamond mine in South Africa. Cut from a 299.3 carat rough diamond into a 103.49 carat diamond and was sold at Christie’s auction house in 2022.
7 - The Spectacle - $14.1M
A 100.94 carat, emerald cut, D colour & internally flawless diamond. Mined & cut in Russia, it took 20 months of planning & cutting to get the diamond from its original 207.29 carat rough stone when found in 2016. The gem was sold in 2021 at Christie’s auction house.
8 - Juno Diamond - $12.9M
This pear-shaped diamond is graded D colour & internally flawless and weighs an impressive 101.41 carats. It gets its name after the Roman goddess Juno.
9 - The Beau Sancy - $9.7M
Weighing 34.98 carats, the diamond is thought to have originated from the Golconda mines. With a modified pear double rose cut shape - the diamond takes its name from Nicolas Harlay, Seigneur De Sancy a French diplomat & financier who owned several important diamonds.
The Beau Sancy was most famously associated with Marie De’ Medici, queen consort of France, wearing the diamond at her coronation in 1610.
In 2012, the diamond was sold at Sotheby's auction house for $9.7M. Extraordinary value compared to others on the list comes from its royal historical connections rather than the rarity of its carat size alone.
10 - Elizabeth Taylor Diamond - $8.8M
Previously known as the Krupp diamond, Elizabeth Taylor’s husband purchased the gemstone for her and it was renamed in 1968.
The diamond’s cut cornered rectangular shape gives it a distinctive look. Weighing 33.19 carats with D colour & VS1 clarity, the asscher-cut diamond sold in 2011 at auction far exceeding the expected sale price.
Other Rare & Expensive Coloured Diamonds
The Aurora Green Diamond - $16.8M
The fancy vivid green diamond weighs 5.03 carats & sold at Christie’s auction house in 2016. It set a world record at the time with a price per carat of $3.3M.
The Graff Vivid Yellow Diamond - $16.3M
Weighing 100.09 carats, the stone was sculpted over 9 months by master cutter Nino Bianco from a 190.72 carat rough stone.
Diamonds With Significant Value
Due to the fact that many of these diamonds are held in museums or royal collections and are not realistically available on the open market, assigning them a precise monetary value is speculative.
1 - Cullinan I - The Great Star Of Africa
Weighing 530.2 carats, it was cut from the largest rough diamond ever discovered & is mounted in the sovereigns sceptre with cross.
This diamond sits as part of the Crown Jewels so theoretically would never go to auction but if it ever did prices could easily start at $400M!
2 - Cullinan II
If the diamond ever was to be offered for sale, estimates suggest it could be worth well over $200M US dollars. It is the second largest diamond cut from the famous 3106 carat Cullinan rough discovery.
3 - Hope Diamond
This large 45.52 carat diamond has a deep blue colour and is currently displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum Of Natural History.
In the seventeenth century the diamond is thought to have been associated with French royalty. It passed hands many times until finally it ended up in the hands of renowned jeweller Harry Winston who donated it to the Smithsonian Museum. If ever sold, some estimates value the diamond at $250 million or more.
4 - Koh-I-Noor
The name means mountain of light in Persian. The 105.6 carat diamond has a long convoluted history dating back several centuries. Over time the Koh I Noor has passed through the hands of powerful rulers in India, Persia, Afghanistan & the Sikh empire. In 1849 the diamond was eventually presented to Queen Victoria & still today it is part of the British Crown Jewels. Estimates begin from $100M and some even believe it could sell for far more than that, into the billions, due to its historical & cultural significance.
5 - Regent Diamond
Weighing 140.64 carats, this diamond sits in the Louvre Museum in Paris. Thought to have been discovered in the Golconda region, an English merchant & trader named Thomas Pitt obtained the rough stone. As such the diamond was once known as the Pitt diamond until he sold it to the French crown in 1717. During the French Revolution the regent diamond was stolen but was then later recovered.
6 - Orlov diamond
The diamond came into the hands of European merchants & was purchased in the eighteenth century by the Armenian-born Russian, Grigory Safras. It was later acquired by Count Grigory Orlov who gave it to Empress Catherine The Great to regain her affection. Catherine did not return to their relationship but kept the beautiful gemstone.
Weighing 189.62 carats, the diamond is displayed in the Kremlin armoury in Moscow, with its distinctive almost rose-like shape.
7 - Dresden Green Diamond
The 41 carat green diamond was mentioned in a London news article as early as 1722. In 1742 it was purchased by King Augustus III of Poland.
In World War II it was taken to Russia as Soviet forces captured the region. It was later returned to Dresden in 1958.
In 2019, thieves broke into Dresden and stole historic jewellery valued at more than €113 million. The Dresden Green Diamond escaped the theft because it was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York at the time. The diamond is housed in Dresden Castle’s New green vault where it can be found today.
8 - The Lucara Diamond Corp - Karowe Mine
Discovered a 2492 carat diamond rough stone in Botswana in 2024 which is the second largest rough diamond ever discovered after the Cullinan in 1905. Estimates suggest the diamond could sell for well over $100M.
9 - Sancy Diamond
The 55.23 carat pale yellow gem of Indian origin got its name from Nicolas De Harlay, Lord Of Sancy.
The diamond was owned by several European nobles & was widely associated with French kings. Once also owned by James I of England.
The diamond if it was to ever be sold again - would likely reach in excess of $10M.
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