The value of all diamonds is measure as a combination of four Cs, carat, cut, colour and clarity. Diamonds are rate by the American Gem Society (AGS). They are the two most reputed diamond grading and certification bodies in the world.
Although some of the world’s most famous diamonds are deem priceless, there is no sale record of these most sought-after gems in history.
Some of them have not even been evaluate in recent years, which could have determine their estimated price.
Especially pink and blue diamonds, have been auction across the world for record prices.
Full List of Most Expensive Diamonds in the World
Koh-i-Noor
Koh-I-Noor means ‘Mountain of Light’, and the gem is consider the world’s most famous priceless diamond.
The Koh-i-Noor weighing 793 carats, it has cut and polish over centuries into the present form of a 105.6-carat gem.
It is widely believe that the diamond was mine during the reign of the Kakatiya dynasty (11th to 12th century) in India’s Golconda region.
After that Koh-i-Noor came into the possession of the Mughals.
When Nader Shah of Persia sack Delhi after defeating Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, he took the diamond with the Peacock Throne, in which it was encrust.
In 1813, the diamond came into the possession of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh before eventually falling into the hands of the British.
Since the 19th century, the diamond has remain in the possession of the British royal family.
Koh-i-Noor is place at the front of the crown worn by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother — Queen Elizabeth II’s mother.
The Koh-i-Noor was last seen in public in 2002 when the crown was place a top the coffin of the Queen Mother.
The Cullinan
Cullinan was mine in South Africa in 1905, the Cullinan diamond originally weigh 3,106 carats, the largest rough diamond in history.
The Cullinan is now a collection of 105 gems of different cuts and weights.
This diamond is one of the most magnificent diamonds in the world, was name after Thomas Cullinan, the chairman of the mine.
The worth of the stone would be an estimate USD 400 million in the current market.
There are nine large pieces of the diamond, totalling approximately 1,055 carats, besides other smaller cuts.
The biggest piece is known as Cullinan I and weighs 530.20 carats, making it the largest clear cut diamond in the world.
The Cullinan I is mount on the spectre of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Cullinan II, weighing 317.40 carats, is part of the Imperial State Crown.
These are also refer to as the ‘Star of Africa’ and ‘Lesser Star of Africa’, respectively.
Cullinans III, IV and V are part of Queen Elizabeth II’s pendant brooch.
The remaining four are also part of The Queen’s personal jewellery.
The Hope
Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French traveller, purchase a 112-carat diamond, which eventually came to be known as the Hope.
It is believe that it was found in the same Golconda mine from where the Koh-i-Noor came.
In his records, Tavernier describe that the diamond had a “beautiful violet” colour.
Tavernier sold it to King Louis XIV.
Over the years, The Hope came to be recognised as the “Blue Diamond of the Crown”.
The Hope was stolen in 1792 and emerge in London in 1812.
After changing many hands, including King George IV, and crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the diamond ended up in the Smithsonian Institution in 1958.
The Hope diamond has remain in the Institution’s collection ever since and has been publicly display outside of Smithsonian only four times.
While the weight of the diamond is 45 carats, its estimate worth is USD 200-350 million.
De Beers Centenary
Even though the De Beers Centenary Diamond was discover in the Premier Mine in South Africa in 1986, its existence was announce two years later at the 100th anniversary of De Beers in Kimberley.
This is how it got its name, Centenary.
The Hope Weigh is 599 carats, it was one of the world’s largest top-colour diamonds.
The Centenary was then cut down into a heart-shape gem of 273.85 carats with 247 perfectly aligned facets.
The GIA certified the diamond’s colour as D, the highest rating for colourless diamonds, and internally and externally flawless in clarity.
At the time of its unveiling in 1991, it was the largest known colourless modern-cut diamond.
The Centenary has never valuate, but it was insure for USD 100 million before it was put on display in 1991.
No one knows who owns the diamond and therefore, its current location remains a mystery.
CTF Pink Star Diamond
CTF Pink Star Diamond is Oval in shape, the internally flawless gem is the world’s largest vivid pink diamond.
Though the exact location is unknown, it was mine by De Beers in Africa in 1999.
The stone weigh 132.5 carats at the time.
For over two years, experts from The Steinmetz Group cut and polish it into a 59.60-carat diamond.
CTF Pink Star Diamond was first display in public in Monaco in 2003.
At the time, it was known as the Steinmetz Pink diamond.
In April 2017, the Pink Star was sold for USD 71.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong to city-base jewellery company Chow Tai Fook.
The owner of the jewellery rename it CTF Pink Star in honour of his father.
Till date, CTF Pink Star Diamond is the most expensive diamond ever sold at an auction.
Oppenheimer Blue Diamond
The Oppenheimer Blue was the costliest diamond to have sold at an auction when it went under the hammer for USD 57.5 million at Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in 2016.
The 14.62-carat diamond, which is grade as a fancy vivid blue diamond, was name after its owner Sir Philip Oppenheimer, whose family once control the De Beers Mining Company.
Oppenheimer Blue Diamond is an extremely rare diamond because only 10% of all blue diamonds are larger than a carat.
The emerald-cut diamond has a VVS1 clarity grade, a grade below Internally Flawless.
Blue Moon of Josephine
In November 2015, the vivid blue diamond sold for USD 48.4 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong.
At the time, the 12.03-carat diamond was the costliest ever to have sold at an auction.
The Blue Moon diamond was bought by billionaire Joseph Lau for his daughter.
He rename it ‘Blue Moon of Josephine’ after her.
In 2014, the diamond was discover as a 29.6-carat rough cut in the Cullinan mine by Petra Diamonds in South Africa.
Graff Pink
The Graff Pink diamond was last sold for USD 46.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in 2010, making it the costliest transaction at the time for a diamond at an auction.
Graff Pink gets its name from its current owner, Laurence Graff of Graff Diamonds.
The 24.78-carat Fancy Intense Pink emerald-cut diamond was not seen on the market for 60 years before the sale.
After Graff acquire it, his team work on further enhancing the look of the diamond.
As a result, the Graff Pink is now a 23.88 carats Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond.
Already rare because of its colour and size, the gem became even rarer.
The history of the diamond is not very clear.
Before Graff, its owner was jeweller Harry Winston who sold it in the 1950s to an unknown buyer.
The Princie
The Princie is one of the world’s best known pink diamonds.
In 2013, it sold at a Christie’s auction in New York City for USD 39.3 million.
Like many other highly valuable diamonds, the 34.65-carat Princie comes from the mines of the Golconda region.
According to Christie’s, it was discover around 300 years ago.
One of its owners was the Nizam of Hyderabad, describe as the richest man in the world by Time magazine in 1937.
The diamond got its name in honour of the Prince of Baroda, son of Maharani Sita Devi, who attend a party thrown by its last owner Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris.
The diamond’s current owner remains anonymous.
The Orange
This is the largest fancy vivid orange diamond to have ever sold at an auction.
The Orange was purchase for USD 35.5 million at Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in 2013.
The 14.82-carat, pear-shape stone was found in South Africa and was own by early-20th-century Bolivian industrialist Simón Iturri Patiño, famously known as ‘The Andean Rockefeller’.
Sancy
The Sancy diamond originated in India and had many owners.
Weighing only 55 carats, the diamond resides in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
It is believed that the first owner of the diamond, following its discovery in India, was Charles the Bold, Duke Burgundy.
Sancy was pass on to his cousin, King Manuel I of Portugal, and then to the latter’s heir Dom António.
When the Spanish threaten Dom António, he fled with the diamond and use it to fund his battle.
Eventually, Sancy reach Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy, a French Ambassador to Turkey, in 1570, after whom the diamond was name.
The diamond change notable hands such as King Henry III, King James I and King Louis XIV over the following few centuries till it came into possession of William Waldorf Astor in 1906.
Sancy diamond was sold by the Astor family to The Louvre for USD 1 million in 1978.
