The most colossal display of luxury and wealth are diamond auctions. Diamonds are anyway the most prized and beautiful natural stone. So one can imagine the hype and fanfare about those rare diamonds; peaking in both beauty and price.
Most of these expensive diamonds include coloured diamonds, mostly pink and blue. There are 1 in a million diamonds who seem to possess this rare streak of colour. Let's take a deeper look at the most expensive diamonds ever sold.
1) Pink Star
Price: $71.2 million
Weight: 59.6-carat
GIA Classification: Fancy Vivid Pink
In 2017, this pink gem made history, by being the most expensive diamond ever sold. Touted as the rarest gem in the world, it was sold for a staggering $71.2 million. The most astonishing thing about it, apart from its lively pink colour, is its sheer size. It's almost the size of a strawberry!
2) Oppenheimer Blue
Price: $57.5 million
Weight: 14.62 carats
GIA Classification: Fancy Vivid Blue
Surpassing its asking price of $35 – $45 million, Oppenheimer Blue was sold for a whopping $57.5 million. Given its hypnotic blue shade, this price doesn’t come as a shock. Adding to its grandeur, are the two smaller diamonds on both its sides, set on a platinum band. It has often been called the ‘gem of gems’!
3) Pink Legacy
Price: $50.4 million
Weight:18.96-carat
GIA Classification: Fancy Vivid Pink
This awe-striking gem was put to auction almost a century after it was discovered in a South African mine in 1918. It was sold by the Oppenheimers (owners of Oppenheimer Blue) to Harry Winston for about half a billion dollars. One can say it is worth every bit of it. Afterall, the shade of pink seen in the Pink Legacy is so rare that only one in a million diamonds possess it.
4) Lesedi La Rona
Price: $53 million
Weight: 1,109-carat
Type: Rough Diamond
Found in Botswana's mines, Lesedi La Rona is a rough diamond almost the size of a tennis ball. Its name translates to "Our Light" in the Tswana language. This stone was formed about 3 billion years ago. Its auction was an unprecedented event. fetching $53 million as the highest price for an uncut stone.
5) Blue Moon of Josephine
Price: $48.5million
Weight: 12.03-carat
GIA Classification: Fancy Vivid Blue
This vivid blue coloured diamond was bought by a Hong Kong businessman Joseph Lau for his 7-year old daughter. Lau also named this exotic blue diamond after her. A significant investment, both financially and emotionally, this diamond was the largest cushion-shaped diamond to be auctioned off.
6) Graff Pink
Price: $46 million
Weight:12.03-carat
GIA Classification: Fancy Intense Pink
With a stunning colour and mammoth size, Graff Pink is one of the rarest kinds of gemstones. It is an emerald-cut jewel, flanked by a diamond on both sides, mounted on a Platinum band. It is named after its owner British jeweller Laurence Graff, who bought it for a dizzying $46 million.
7) Princie Diamond
Price: $46 million
Weight:1 2.03-carat
Colour: Fancy intense pink
This is another diamond named in honour of a child. In this case it was the 14- year old Prince of Baroda, Princie. This diamond was discovered in India’s Golconda mines about 300 years ago. From Indian royalty and Italians to the Qatari royal family, this diamond's journey and current whereabouts have always stirred curiosity. The GIA describes it as a diamond with an appearance reminiscent of a "pool of water."
8) The Orange
Price: $35.5 million
Weight: 14.82 Carat
GIA Classification: Fancy Vivid Orange
Shaped like a pear, it was the largest fancy vivid orange diamond to appear at an auction. It defied its estimate of $21 million, selling for a record-breaking $35.5 million. This gem adds another shade to the collection of coloured diamonds, which generally includes the well-known blue and pink diamonds.
9) Zoe Diamond
Price: $32.6 million
Weight: 9.75-carat
GIA Classification: Fancy Vivid Blue
With an electric blue spark, the Zoe Diamond is a gem of unparalleled beauty. What makes the Zoe Diamond especially beautiful is its rich saturation and radiant shine. The remarkable sale price of $32.6 million not only showcases its inherent value but also the ever-increasing fascination of blue diamonds in the world of luxury and opulence.
10) Cullinan Dream
Price: $25.4 million
Weight: 24.18-carat
GIA Classification: Fancy intense blue
Emerging from the Cullinan mine in South Africa, the Cullinan Dream is a cut-cornered rectangular mixed-cut diamond. Its history is tied to the larger 122.52-carat diamond, from which this gem was masterfully extracted. Its breathtaking blue shade makes it really desirable.
These exceptional stones, garnering astronomical prices at auctions, tell a story much deeper than just their monetary value. Each of these diamonds speak of nature's artistry. They are reminders of the eternal human quest for the unique and the exquisite.