The most expensive diamonds in the world are the most flawlessly structured and colored as graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), whose expertise informs a lot of this list. They are also often some of the largest and most historically significant stones ever found, often playing central roles in royal drama and real-world conflicts.
Continue reading to learn about the history and the stunning look of the 9 most expensive diamonds in the world.
- Blue Moon of Josephine
- Oppenheimer Blue
- The Pink Star
- De Beers Centenary Diamond
- Jacob Diamond
- Millennium Star
- The Hope Diamond
- The Koh-I-Noor Diamond
- The Cullinan Diamond
Size: 12.03 carats
Source: South Africa
photo source: Fabergé
The Blue Moon of Josephine is a flawless blue diamond and one of the newest ultra-valuable stones around, having been discovered in January 2014 in a mine in South Africa. The stone is cushion-cut, making it the largest cushion-cut fancy vivid blue diamond ever sold at auction. It was sold in 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland for $48.4 million.
What makes the auction for the Blue Moon of Josephine unique is that due to its relatively small size (for these stones) of 12.03 carats, this diamond has a greater value per carat than any diamond ever sold.
Did you know?
The Blue Moon of Josephine is now owned by Joseph Lau Luen-hung, a convicted felon and billionaire based in Hong Kong. He is also the owner of the $28.5 million pink diamond, Sweet Josephine, and the Star of Josephine, a $9.5 million blue diamond.
Size: 14.62 carats
Source: South Africa
photo source: Christie’s
The Fancy Vivid Blue diamond known as the Oppenheimer Blue used to be the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction, though it was beaten by the jewels listed below. Sir Philip Oppenheimer used to own the stone before Christie’s put it up for auction in 2016 where it sold over the phone to an anonymous bidder for over $60.97 million.
Oppenheimer Blue is a rectangle cut diamond and the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever sold.
Did you know?
Fancy vivid blue diamonds are extremely rare and often associated with wisdom and royalty. Given an equal size and quality, a fancy blue diamond is more expensive than any other colored diamond.
Size: 59.6 carats
Source: South Africa
photo source: NPR
The Pink Star was once called the Steinmetz Pink. It is a fancy vivid pink diamond rated by the Gemological Institute of America after being mined in South Africa in the De Beers mine in 1999. It is the largest vivid pink diamond known to exist.
The Pink Star weighs 59.6 carats and has been cut in mixed oval brilliant style. In 2017, it was valued at nearly $70.55 million when it sold at a Sotheby’s auction.
Did you know?
The Pink Star was technically sold in 2013 at another Sotheby’s auction for $83.187 million. However, the buyer never paid the price, so it was relisted and sold again in 2017 in Hong Kong for the amount listed here.
Size: 273.85 carats
Source: South Africa
photo source: Facebook
The De Beers Centenary Diamond is certainly one of the largest stones on this list at 273.85 carats and the third-largest top-color diamond on earth (see below). It was sourced from the Premier Mine in South Africa in July 1986.
It is known to be flawless on both its outside and inside structures. The De Beers Centenary Diamond is valued at $90,000,000.
Did you know?
The Gemological Institute of America rated the De Beers Centenary Diamond as Grade D Colorless, which is the highest rating that a colorless diamond can earn.
Size: 184.5 carats
Source: India
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
The Jacob Diamond is a 184.5-carat rectangular cushion-cut diamond sourced from the Golconda Mines in India. It was discovered in 1884 and bought by the Nizam of Hyderabad. Now, the diamond is secure in the Reserve Bank of India, which houses many of the Government of India’s most valuable treasures in Mumbai.
The Jacob Diamond gets omitted from many lists of the most valuable diamonds because it was sold for only $13 million in 1995. However, it was estimated to be worth 100 million pounds in 2008, the equivalent of $130.2 million.
Did you know?
This diamond was over 400 carats big before it was cut. Unlike pretty much every other famous diamond, the Jacob Diamond is not associated with any violent conflict. It has only had three owners in its entire history.
Size: 203.4 carats
Source: Zaire
photo source: Famous Diamonds
The Millennium Star is a stunning top-color colorless diamond sourced from the Mbuji-Mayi mine in Zaire in Central Africa. It was discovered in 1990 and was 777 carats when it came out of the mine. It was cut down to 203.4 carats after being bought by De Beers, who will show up again on this list.
It was given a pear brilliant cut over three years by the stone cutters at De Beers. Grade D colorless diamonds are rarely larger at this quality (only one has beaten the Millennium Star in world history). The Millennium Star has not sold at auction, but it is insured for 100 million pounds, implying that its value is at least that high.
Did you know?
The diamond was discovered during the First Congo War, which was a conflict resulting from the Rwandan Civil War starting in 1996. The bloodshed had spread to Zaire and caused issues for De Beers trying to get their diamond out of the conflict zones.
Size: 45.52 carats
Source: India
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
The 45.52-carat stone known as The Hope Diamond may not be the most valuable diamond in the world, but it is probably the most famous. It was originally sourced from the famous Kollur Mines in India, which have produced many of the world’s greatest stones. Its value is estimated as being between $150,000,000 to $350,000,000, though the prestige of the stone could make it even more valuable if it was ever sold again.
It was originally called the Tavernier Blue, purchased in France in 1666 after being mined. It was later stolen in the late 1700s and recut. The largest piece of the recovered stones became known as the Hope Diamond when it was found and purchased by the banking family, the Hopes.
Did you know?
The Hope Diamond’s blue tint is one of its most famous attributes. This is because of trace amounts of boron in the stone, which appears blue in the light.
Size: 105.6 carats
Source: India
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
The Koh-I-Noor Diamond is a 105.6-carat diamond and like many of the world’s most valuable stones is part of the set known as the British Crown Jewels. This particular stone is the centerpiece of the crown of the Queen Mother. Its value is estimated at $520.7 million.
According to record, the diamond was sourced from the Kollur Mine in India and then became the property of the Sultan of Delhi. There was so much fighting surrounding the ownership of the gem that some consider it cursed among men, which is why it has only been worn by women in the modern British royal family. It was set in the brooch and circlet of Queen Victoria and later in the crown of Queen Alexandra.
Did you know?
The stone is said to have been found during the Kakatiya Dynasty, a period in South Indian history between the 12th and 14th centuries. This makes it one of the oldest of the world’s most famous diamonds.
Size: 530.4 carats
Source: South Africa
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
The most expensive diamond is the Cullinan Diamond. Gem-quality rough diamonds are stones that have the structural integrity needed to be cut into gems. Of those, the Cullinan Diamond is the single largest ever found, weighing in at a staggering 3,106.75 carats when it was pulled from the Premier No. 2 mine in South Africa. The mine, nicknamed the Cullinan, was named after its chairman, Thomas Cullinan, whose name carried over to this stone.
It was sold in 1907 and used by the Transvaal Colony as a gift to King Edward VII, who ordered it to be cut down into gems now known by many names. The largest of these is this diamond, the Cullinan I, which is a 530.4-carat diamond worth an estimated $2 billion.
Did you know?
105 diamonds were cut from the original rough Cullinan Diamond. Cullinan I is also known as The Great Star of Africa and is one of the Crown Jewels of England. Specifically, it’s the stone on the top of the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross. The stone even yielded a second Crown Jewel, Cullinan II, which is 317.4 carats and could probably be on this list on its own<
The Takeaway
These stones, worth millions or even billions, are kept in vaults, in private collections, displayed in prestigious galleries, or locked in the storehouses of royal families. They are some of the best-kept treasures on earth, valued for their purity, beauty, and even their history.
