You know diamonds are costly, but when you bring the most expensive in the world into question, most will start to look cheap. In this article, we’ll look at an overview of seven of the most expensive in the world. Also, you’ll learn the sources of these valuable gems and their current locations.
Top 7 Most Expensive Diamond in the world
The Koh-I-Noor
The diamond’s name is iconic. The name Koh-I-Noor is a Persian word that loosely translates to ‘Mountain of Light.’ This name comes from the position of the diamond since it was discovered in the 1300s.
The discovery site of this precious stone is the Golconda mine located in modern-day India. It was the largest in circulation until the 1800s when a rival appeared.
Prince Albert of England then reduced the diamond from the original 105.6 carats to 86 carats to increase its brilliance and sparkle. It was, however, a widely held belief that it’s is a cursed stone that brings misfortune and sadness to the owner. This claim proved to be mysteriously true, or it looked so until Great Britain gained possession of the stone in 1849.
The diamond is oval-shaped, and it is currently at the HM Tower in London. It is a popular tourist attraction for tourists from around the world. It was also a part of the queen mother’s crown. Authors William Dalrymple and Anita Anand co-wrote a book on the diamond and the mystery stories surrounding it.
The Sancy Diamond
A pale-yellow shaped like a shield, the Sancy is one of the first cut to uniform facets. The diamond has no pavilions and possesses only two crowns, giving a peculiar shape. Legends have it that the gem initially belonged to the Mughals. However, researchers assume it most likely originated from India due to its shape.
Moreover, most of the diamonds mined before the discovery of American and Kimberly mines are from Golconda.Many great kings and individuals owned this priceless . Some of the previous owners of this stone include Charles the Bold, Manuel I of Portugal, King James I & II, King Charles I, Duke of Burgundy, and seigneur de Sancy (whose name inspired the name today).
The diamond disappeared during the French revolution, and it was eventually sold to the Louvre for $1million in 1978 after stints with multiple owners. It currently sits in the Apollo Gallery, neighbored by the Regent and Hortensia.
The Cullinan Diamond
When this was discovered in the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, it was the largest gem-quality rough ever mined in history. At the time of discovery, it weighs 3,106.65 carats or roughly (621.35g). It was later to be a mother to 9, which are all part of the crown jewels of the UK.
The Cullinan 1 at 530.2 carats was the largest till 1985 before being dethroned by the Golden Jubilee (545.67) from the same mining site. However, it remains the largest clear-cut to this date. It currently sits at the top of the sovereign Sceptre with the cross.
Hope Diamond
The name probably gets you thinking positively about the story. However, it is a popular belief that this carries the curse of wrecking its owners.The diamond is not just blue due to its boron content, but it also turns red under ultraviolet light due to the stone’s phosphorus content.
The diamond originated from India in the 1600s, precisely from the Andra Pradesh’s Kollur mines. name came from the Hope banking family in London, who owned the briefly around 1839. A French merchant by the name of Tavernier possessed the gem sometime around 1653.
According to Wikipedia, 22 different people had owned the diamond before the Smithsonian Museum acquired it in 1958. The Hope has been in the museum until today. was one of the jewels that were stolen in 1792, and its insurance is worth a whopping $250million.
The Centenary Diamond
The Centenary is a rough that weighed over 500 carats. It was later shaped into a heart, reducing its weight to 273.85 carats.
The reduction effort was later complemented by an increase in the coloring and clarity grade of the jewel. A team of highly skilled jewelers spent 154 days re-cutting this gigantic jewel. The current owner of the diamond is unknown, making its exact location impossible to decipher.
The Steinmetz Pink Diamond
The pink star weighs 59.60 carats and is rated Fancy Vivid Pink by the America Geology Institute, making it the largest of this rating in history. It was mined in the De beers mines in 1999, making it a millennial gem. The gem is so big that it took Steinmetz 20 months to cut the diamond. It was displayed publicly in Monaco on 29 May 2003. On 3 April 2017, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises bought the stone at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong for $71.2 million.
The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond
The 14.62 carat Oppenheimer Blue is the largest to ever appear in an auction. The original owner was Sir Philip Oppenheimer, and it sold for $57.5milion at the Christie’s in Geneva. It held the record for the largest ever sold until 2017 when Steinmetz Pink hijacked the record.
The diamond is in a ring flanked on both sides by smaller . It was named after its last owner, who controlled mining activities at De beers and gave to his wife as a gift. was presumed to fetch around 38 – 48 million Swiss Francs but smashed all expectations with the final bid. The bidding session lasted just 25 minutes.
Conclusion
Diamonds can be expensive if you know where to look. While most that appear on wedding rings are tiny and cheap, you’ll never understand the value of a pure until you go to an auction. If you’d like to know the most expensive in history, this post is all you need.
