The most expensive diamonds in the world
The most expensive diamonds in the world
Updated on September 02, 2022 13:39 PM by Sally Harbor
Taking their name from the ancient Greek word adamas meaning indestructible, diamonds are known for their physical qualities. Ranked at 10 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, these stones are impossible to break or scratch.
Surprisingly, diamonds themselves are not that rare. In fact, they’re one of the most common precious stones found.But, only about 30% of mined diamonds are considered to be of gem-quality. Extracting diamonds is quite a complicated, labor intensive process as rough diamonds must be cut and polished before being brought to market and sold.
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Another reason for the high price of diamonds is demand for the stone in the market. The De Beers Association was the first advertising agency to convince men to spend 2 months salary on a diamond engagement ring.The 4 Cs of diamond classification are diamond cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. The higher each of these, the more expensive the diamond will be.
All diamonds are costly, but the most expensive diamonds in the world take things to a whole new level. So here is a list of all the most expensive diamonds in the world
1. Allnatt Diamonds
The Allnatt Diamonds are worth $3.03 million and This 101.29 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond is named after Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt. He was a British businessman and art collector who was popular for his zeal for collections. It is believed that this unique diamond came from one of the De Beers mines in South Africa. After buying the diamond in the 1950s, Major Allanatt had commissioned the now popular brand for jewelry Cartier to make a flower shaped setting for it.
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Colored diamonds over 100 carats are very rare, and this is one of the largest yellow diamonds in the world. Sold by Christie’s Geneva at auction for $3,043,496 USD in May 1996, the cushion-cut gemstone originally weighed 102.07 carats and was graded Fancy Intense Yellow.After the sale at the auction, the diamond was then concluded as Fancy Vivid Yellow.
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2.The Sancy Diamond
The Sancy Diamond comes next in line which is a pale yellow 55.23 carat Diamond which was originally an even larger diamond called Balle de Flandres. The Diamond was given as a dowry of Valentina Visconti, who married Louis I, Duke of Orleans;and since then the gemstone has been owned by several royal figures including King Manuel I of Portugal, Henry III of France, Henry IV, King James VI, Charles I and James II. Henry III was bald and hid this by wearing a hat adorned with this piece of Diamond.
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The Diamond got its name from the Seigneur de Sancy, Nicolas de Harlay who was a French diplomat and jewelry collector.
William Waldorf Astor had bought The Sancy in 1906 and the Astor family owned the diamond until 1978, when they sold it to The Louvre in Paris. The Sancy is displayed in the Apollo Gallery, together with the Regent Diamond.Although The Sancy has never been valued, it is estimated to be worth at least $6 million.
3.Golden Jubilee Diamond
This diamond is 545.67 carats and with a weight of 109.13 g,and is known as the largest cut and faceted diamond in the world. It is an unusual brown diamond with a golden hue.
The Diamond was discontinued in the Premier Mines of the De Beers in South Africa in 1985, it was originally nicknamed “Unknown Brown”. As there were cracks in the interior, De Beers hired famous diamond cutter Gabriel Tolkowsky to cut it.
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They had built a vibration underground chamber to work on the diamond and two years later, the original 755.50 carats gem stone had been reduced to 545.57 carats.
This huge diamond was bought by a team led by Thai businessman Henry Ho. As a celebration of King Bhumibol’s 50th coronation anniversary, they presented the diamond to his daughter, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, to give to the King.
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4. The Perfect Pink Diamond
The Perfect Pink is a rare pink diamond measuring 14.23 carats, and is also the one of the only 18 pink diamonds appearing at auction to weigh more than 10 carats. Among those 18 diamonds, this was the only one to be ranked a Fancy Intense Perfect Pink by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
The Perfect Pink Diamond was sold for $23.17 million at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2010 to an unknown bidder. This was almost 30% higher than its upper estimate.
This diamond is mounted in 18k gold and rose gold, surrounded on either side by two clear diamonds.Add Block
5. Wittelsbach - Graff Diamond
This diamond was first found in Kollur Mine, India. In 1664, the Wittelsbach Diamond was given by Philip IV of Spain to his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Theresa, when she got engaged to Emperor Leopold I of Austria.
In 1722, the diamond was passed to the Wittelsbach family, rulers of the House of Bavaria as part of a dowry and later it was bought by jeweler Laurence Graff in 2008 for £16.4 million, the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond wasn’t always perfect.
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Graff later admitted that three diamond cutters had removed flaws with the diamond. This stunning diamond sold for $23.4 million at Christie’s in 2010, however it is now estimated to be worth $80 million.
6. The Graff Pink Diamond
The Vivid Pink Diamond in color is of carat 24.78 and is named after Laurance Graff, who acquired it at the Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels Sale in Geneva in 2010.
The Diamond had 25 small natural faults were removed from the ring, and the carat size was reduced from 24.78 carats to 23.88 carats. This changed the color from intense to vivid and the stone’s clarity to internally flawless. It was previously owned by the American jeweler Harry Winston, and now this emerald cut diamond is mounted in a ring.
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7. The Cullinan Diamond
The largest gem quality rough diamond ever discovered is The Cullinan Diamond and it is now actually a collection of 105 stones of different cuts. Originally weighing an astonishing 3,106.75 carats, the enormous diamond was found at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa in 1905.
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The Diamond was named after the chairman of the mine,Thomas Cullinian , the rough diamond was cut into 9 major stones totalling 1,055.89 carats and 96 unpolished elements and minor gemstones.
The Cullinan I, also known as the Great Star of Africa, is the largest gem, at 530.4 carats. This is the biggest clear cut diamond in the world.It is owned by Queen Elizabeth II, and the diamond is mounted on the sovereign’s sceptre, while the Cullinan II is part of the Imperial State Crown.
If the rough Cullinan Diamond was discovered today, it would potentially be worth over $400 million.However. this priceless diamond has not been recently valued.
8. Mountain of Light AKA Koh-i-Noor
The Koh-i-Noor is also known as The Mountain of Light and weighs 105.6 carats and is colorless gemstone is now part of the British Crown Jewels.
The central stone of the Queen Mother’s crown, the Koh-I-Noor diamond is viewed by millions of visitors to the Tower of London each year. The Kohinoor diamond is often said to be cursed, as many male owners lost their power or lives unexpectedly, and it has therefore only been worn by women since 1849.Thought to have come from India, the gemstone was part of the Mughal Peacock Throne. It was later controversially transferred to Queen Victoria when the British had annexed India and Prince Albert had the gem recut by Coster Diamonds as an oval.
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Although the Koh-i-Noor diamond is considered to be priceless, the entire Crown Jewels themselves are estimated to be worth over $1 billion.