In this blog, we have listed down the most beautiful, rare, and expensive diamonds in the world.
Undoubtedly, diamonds are one of the most elegant natural creations. Its beauty and aura allure people of all ages and from every corner of the world. That’s why it has an ever-increasing demand.
However, the natural supply of gem-quality diamonds is limited. Also, it takes a lot of resources to mine, cut, grade, and bring diamonds to the market. As a result, the supply is way lesser than the actual demand.
This imbalance, along with other factors, contributes to making the diamonds expensive.
Although diamonds cost a fortune, there are some diamonds that have the most astonishing values and historical significance and are often possessed by the wealthiest of wealthy people. If you’re interested in learning about them, you’re in the right spot!
Read on to know about the 20 most expensive diamonds in the world.
1. Kohinoor
The Kohinoor diamond is one of the largest, most popular and most valuable diamonds of all time.
The diamond has a rich (and often disputed) history. It was most likely found in the 1300s in India. The gemstone was passed down from one ruler to another before reaching the hands of the British. Originally, the diamond weighed 186 carats. However, to maximise its brilliance and sparkle, Prince Albert had it cut from 186 ct to 105.6 ct.
There are layers of mysteries, bad luck and curses associated with the possession of Kohinoor. Some legends claim that whenever it is acquired by a male king/ruler, the Kohinoor has brought doom and destruction. They claim only a female owner can avoid its ill omen. Whether these claims are true or not, is still debatable.
After the end Anglo-Sikh war of 1849-50, the diamond was acquired by the British. Later, it was presented to the Queen of Elizabeth II and has formed a core part of British Crown Jewels.
Today, the diamond is kept on display at the HM Tower of London. It serves as a great tourist attraction.
Even today, the exact value of Kohinoor is unknown. Thus, it is often referred to as a priceless diamond.
2. Cullinan
The Cullinan diamond was discovered in the Premiere 2 mine in Cullivan, South Africa. It was one of the largest gem-quality diamonds ever to be found, weighing around 3,106.75 carats at the time of discovery.
The stone was then given to Edward VII of England as a birthday present by the Transvaal Government. Later, the rough stone was cut into nine gemstones and 96 other small diamonds. The nine major diamonds are given a name from Cullinan I to IX.
The Star of Africa or Cullinan I is one of the largest gemstones among the Cullinan diamonds, weighing around 530 carats. Today, it can be found sparkling amidst the royal sceptre of the British Crown Jewels.
On the other hand, Cullinan II is referred to as the second-largest gemstone that weighs around 317 carats. It is set in the Imperial State Crown that is used in the coronation of British Monarchs.
The rest of the diamonds are a core component of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal set of jewellery.
While the actual value might differ, many people claim that these diamonds are worth more than $2 billion.
3. Pink Star Diamond
In 1999, the Pink Star diamond was mined by De Beers in an undisclosed location in South Africa. At the time of discovery, the rough diamond weighed around 132.5 carats. After a gruelling 20 months of cutting and grading the diamond, it was publicly displayed in 2003.
The Pink Star diamond is one of the largest internally flawless vivid pink diamonds.
Recently, a Hong-Kong based company, Chow Tai Fook, purchased it for $71.2 million. It has been renamed, the CTF Pink Star diamond.
4. The Hope
In the 17th century, the Hope diamond was found in the Kollur mine in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It has an antique cushion cut and weighs around 45.52 carats.
Over the past centuries, it has been a centre of attraction for many people. Not only its beauty that has intrigued people but also the legends and the mysteries that surround it.
As per one, the diamond was plucked from an idol of God and since then whoever touches it gets cursed and bad luck is sure to befall them. Further, it has a complex and layered history of being owned by King Louis XIV, stolen, gambled, won and later donated to the Smithsonian Institution where it resides even today.
The actual worth of this diamond is believed to be between $200 million to $500 million.
5. The Orange
Pure orange diamonds or fire diamonds as they’re called are exceptionally rare. In fact, Sotheby’s 5.54-carat pumpkin diamond was the largest orange diamond sold in 1997 for $1.3 million to Prince Winston’s son.
However, in 2013, the 14.5 carats orange diamond at Christie’s Geneva auction attracted a lot of attention. It was later sold for $3.5 million.
It is a one-of-a-kind, largest fancy orange diamond.
6. The Princie
Princie diamond was one of the largest fancy intense pink diamonds it has ever graded. In fact, only one in a hundred thousand natural diamonds can be certified as pink, let alone intense pink.
The Princie diamond is a 36.65 carats most chemically pure type of diamond. It is even described as a pool of water.
The history of this diamond is both fascinating as well as scandalous. It dates back to around 300 years when this diamond was first found in the Golconda mines of India. In the 1700s, this pink diamond was first recorded in the Indian monarch the Nizam of Hyderabad’s jewelry collection. After that, it vanished from the public eye and its official owners and whereabouts were unknown during this period.
In 1960, the diamond reappeared at Sotheby’s and it was learned that it had been sold to them by none other than Nizam. Pierre Arpels purchased this diamond for 46,000 British pounds and sold it to the Italian businessman Renato Angiolillo.
The diamond was inherited by the Angiolillo family until it was reported to have either vanished or been stolen. The diamond reappeared in the Christie’s New York auction in 2013 and was sold for a whopping value of $39.3 million to a Qatari family. This led to a series of legal disputes between the two families and even today the official whereabouts of the diamond is unknown.
7. The Blue Moon of Josephine
The blue moon diamond was discovered in the Cullinan mine of South Africa in 2014. It was one of the largest cushion-cut blue diamonds in the fancy vivid blue category to ever appear at the Sotheby’s auction.
In 2015, it was purchased by a Hong-Kong based billionaire for $48.4 million. Later, it was renamed the blue moon of Josephine, following the name of the billionaire’s daughter.
The sale of the blue moon diamond broke many records. It was the first diamond ever to be sold for more than $4 million per carat. In fact, it is one of the four diamonds ever to be graded as vivid blue.
8. Sakura
The Sakura diamond is a fancy, vivid pink and internally flawless diamond. It is popular for its rarity, colour, optical transparency, and enormous size. Found in Russia, the original rough diamond weighed around 27.8 carats.
After cutting and polishing, the diamond weighed around 15.81 carats. Sakura is one of the ten percent of pink diamonds that weigh more than five or six carats. It was sold for $29.3 million at the Christie’s auction in 2021.
9. Winston Blue Diamond
The blue diamond, as it was previously called, is popular for its flawless clarity and vivid blue colour. It’s a 13.22 carats pear-shaped diamond.
In 2014, the diamond was auctioned at the Christie’s Geneva sale and was sold to Harry Winston for $23.8 million. Later, it was renamed the Winston Blue diamond by the company’s CEO Nayla Hayek.
To date, it is one of the costliest blue diamonds ever sold at approximately $1.8003 per carat.
10. The Graff Pink Diamond
The Graff Pink diamond is a fancy intense pink diamond weighing around 24.78 carats. It is among the top two percent of diamonds with a grading type of IIa.
Initially, it was owned by Harry Winston. However, it was later sold to a private collector. In 2010, the graff pink diamond was sold for $46.2 million at the Sotheby’s Geneva auction to Lawrence Graff.
The diamond is placed amidst two pear-shaped diamonds in a beautiful diamond ring.
11. The Zoe Diamond
The Zoe diamond is one of the rarest and most expensive diamonds in the world. It has a fancy vivid blue colour and weighs around 9.75 carats. Further, it has a clarity in VVS2.
The history of this diamond is yet unknown. In a way, it came out and snatched everyone’s attention with its beauty.
This stunning pear-shaped diamond was sold for $32.6 million at an auction by Sotheby in New York. The buyer, Joseph Lau is a businessman based in Hong Kong who purchased it for his daughter Zoe.
12. Spirit of the Rose
The spirit of the rose was found in a mine in northeast Russia and unearthed by the mining company Alrosa. It is one of the most expensive purple-pink diamonds that was sold for $26.6 million at an auction by Sotheby in Geneva.
The rough stone weighed around 27.85 carats. However, after gruelling long hours of cutting and polishing, a 14.83 stone was revealed.
This diamond has a fancy vivid purple-pink colour and has been described as internally flawless.
13. The Sancy Diamond
One of the first recorded diamonds cut in the shape of a shield, the Sancy diamond, has a unique design and an interesting history. It has an unusual shape, with no pavilions and only crowns.
As per many legends, the Sancy diamond belonged to the Mughals and was found in the Golconda mines of India. Its first recorded appearance dates back to 1570. It has belonged to famous and reputed personalities, including Seigneur De Sancy, from whom it got its name. During the french revolution, the diamond disappeared.
Later, after changing many hands, it was finally sold for $1 million to the Louvre in 1978. Today, it can be found in the Apollo Gallery.
14. Heart of Eternity
The heart of eternity diamond is a heart-shaped diamond weighing around 27.64 carats in fancy vivid blue colour. It is extremely rare and expensive. Also, it is among the 0.1 percent of pure blue diamonds found in the Premier mine of South Africa.
The purity of this diamond is unparalleled. Unlike other blue diamonds, it does not have blue or black undertones.
The diamond was cut from the same rough stone that gave us the 203.44 carats Millennium Star diamond.
15. The Perfect Pink
In 2010, the perfect pink diamond was sold for more than $23 million at the Christie’s auction in Hong Kong to an unknown bidder. The diamond is one of its kind with an intense pink colour and clarity of very very slightly included (VVS2). It is cut in an emerald shape and weighs around 14.23 carats.
The perfect pink diamond is set amidst two regular-shaped diamonds in a fancy ring.
16. De Beers Centenary Diamond
The De Beers Centenary Diamond is one of the largest and rarest stones in the world. Discovered in the Premier mine of South Africa, this diamond is one of its kind. It is flawless both internally and externally.
Originally it weighed around 599 carats. However, after, cutting it weighs around 273.85 carats.
In 1988, it was presented in its rough form at the Centennial Celebration of De Beers Consolidated Mines. It was named on this occasion. Later, in 1991, it was modified in a brilliant heart shape cut.
The monetary value of this diamond is more than $100 million. Today, the De beers company does not own this diamond. However, they refrain from revealing the actual owner and maintain a strict privacy policy.
17. The Sweet Josephine
The Sweet Josephine is a fancy vivid pink diamond weighing around 16.08 carats. This cushion-shaped diamond is extremely rare. In fact, only two such diamonds have been publicly sold in the last 250 years. The diamond is set amidst two regular diamonds in a beautiful diamond ring.
The ring was sold for $28 million at Christie’s Geneva auction. It was bought by a Hong Kong-based businessman Joseph Lau for his daughter, Josephine.
18. Golden Jubilee Diamond
The golden jubilee diamond is one of the world’s largest polished brown diamonds, weighing around 545.67 carats. In 1985, this enormous diamond was discovered at the De Beers premier mine in South Africa. In its rough form, the diamond weighed around 755 carats.
The diamond has been graded as fancy yellow-brown. Additionally, it exhibits a golden charm which catches the eye of the viewer.
Over the years, the golden jubilee diamond has been with a lot of owners. It gets its name from being presented to the King of Thailand Rama IX on his 50th coronation anniversary.
Though the actual worth of this diamond is unknown, some estimates suggest it’s worth more than $12 million. Today, it is exhibited in Bangkok’s Royal Museum.
19. The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond
One of the most expensive diamonds in the world, the Oppenheimer Blue diamond was sold at a whopping value of $57.5 million at the Christie’s auction in Geneva. It is one of the rarest stones in the world. In fact, only one percent of diamonds are in vivid blue colour. Oppenheimer blue is one of those exceptions. It weighs around 14.56 carats.
Set in a ring amidst two regular small diamonds, the Oppenheimer Blue diamond is the ultimate eye-catcher. The diamond was originally owned by Philip Oppenheimer, the ex-chairman of De Beers.
20. Allnatt Diamond
Last but not least, we have the cushion-cut, fancy vivid yellow diamond, Allnatt. It derives its name from the first recorded owner Alfred Ernest Allnatt, an English businessman. It is one of the largest yellow diamonds weighing around 101.29 grams.
The actual source of the diamond is unknown. However, as per some assumptions it was found by the De Beers Premier Mine in South Africa.
In 1966, it was sold to SIBA Corporation for more than $3000000.