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Diamonds have captivated human hearts for centuries as a symbol of love, legacy and commitment. While engagement rings often stand in the spotlight and easily catch the mainstream’s eye, the world’s most legendary diamonds transcend mere adornments —they are geological marvels, historical artifacts, and symbols of opulence.
From record-breaking auction sales to royal treasures shrouded in mystery, here are the 10 most expensive diamonds in the world as of now, each with a story as dazzling as its brilliance.
10. Graff Pink – $46.2 million
The 24.78-carat Fancy Intense Pink emerald-cut diamond was not seen on the market for 60 years before the sale. The GIA report states that the Graff Pink has a potentially flawless grade, after repolishing. The diamond is classified as Type IIa intense pink, which is extremely rare and precious as a natural pink diamond and has relatively few inclusions.
In 2010, New York jeweller Harry Winston sold the diamond to Laurence Graff at the price of $46.2 million, and had it renamed the Graff Pink after being repolished.
( How rare is a pink diamond? According to the GIA, of all the diamonds found in a single year, only 1 in 100,000 could be graded as having a “fancy colour,” making natural fancy colour diamonds one of the world’s most extreme rarities. Fancy colour diamonds can come in many colours, including blue, green, and yellow, and out of all these colours, pink diamonds are considered the second rarest.)
9. Blue Moon of Josephine – $48.4 million
Unearthed from the Cullinan mine in South Africa, the diamond was a 29.62-carat rough diamond.
In 2015, this 12.03-carat vivid blue diamond from the rough ,was sold for 48.4 million in Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Joseph, a billionaire, who bought this diamond for his daughter, renamed the diamond “Josephine” after his daughter.
Blue Moon is one of the few diamonds that have a precise track from its discovery to its cutting and sales.
It is said that the shape of the diamond reminds you of the full moon, which is also a metaphor for the existence of the perfect diamond. The diamond is definitely a masterpiece of world jewellery.
8. De Beers Blue – $57.5 million
The De Beers Blue diamond achieved a record-breaking sale of $57.5 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2022, making it the most expensive blue diamond ever sold at auction.
This extraordinary 15.10 carat blue diamond not only breaks the record of the largest blue diamond ever appeared in auction in history, but it is also the largest flawless step cut vivid blue diamond ever graded by GIA.
The diamond’s flawless clarity and mesmerising colour earned the public’s attention and the title of the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever sold at auction.
7. The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond – $57.5 million
Named after its previous owner Sir Philip Oppenheimer, this 14.62-carat vivid blue diamond fetched $57.5 million at Christie’s auction in 2016.
The Oppenheimers have been leaders in the diamond industry for generations, and Sir Philip could have had any diamond he wanted. But he chose this one, with its perfect hue, impeccable proportions and fabulous rectangular shape.
The exceptional diamond is classified as a Vivid Blue, emphasised by its classical emerald cut.
6. Williamson Pink Star – $57.7 million
In 2022, the Williamson Pink Star was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong at a jaw-dropping price of $57.7 million.
This 11.15-carat cushion cut fancy vivid pink diamond sold at auction was mined in Tanzania’s Williamson mine, after which it is named.
The per-carat price of the diamond was more than USD 5 million, making it the most expensive auctioned diamond by price per carat.
It also became the second most expensive jewel sold at auction, just behind the record-breaking auction of the CTF Pink Star in the same year.
Sourced from a 32.32-carat rough, the Williamson Pink Star was masterly cut and polished into the 11.15-carat cushion-cut pink diamond, paired with a rose gold band adorned with white and pink diamonds. Its internally flawless clarity and saturated pink hue make it a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
5. The CTF Pink Star — $71.2 million – one of the world’s great natural treasures
When the pink star, 59.60 carats oval mixed-cut fancy vivid pink, Internally Flawless diamond, sold for $71.2 million at the Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2017, it broke the record and remained as the most expensive diamond ever sold at auction.
Now owned by Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook and renamed the CTF Pink Star, its size and intensity defy imagination.
The CTF pink star is not only the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded, but it is also graded as the highest colour and clarity grade from GIA for pink diamond.
4. The Centenary Diamond — $100 million
Discovered in 1986 at South Africa’s premier Mine, the existence of the Centenary Diamond was announced to the public 2 years later at the 100th anniversary of the De Beers. As a result, De Beers named the diamond “the Centenary Diamond” to celebrate their anniversary.
Weighing 599 carats originally, the Centenary Diamond is one of the largest top colour diamonds, internally and externally flawless. It was then cut into a flawless modified heart-shaped gem of 273.85 carats with 247 perfectly aligned facets.
While this diamond has never been sold or valued in public, experts estimate its value at over $100 million.
The GIA certified the diamond’s colour as D — the highest rating for colourless diamonds — and internally and externally flawless in clarity. Its perfect symmetry also makes it a triumph of De Beers’ craftsmanship.
After its unveiling in 1991, it was shortly displayed in the tower of London, though it remains shrouded in mystery now.
3. The Hope Diamond — $200-250 million
Perhaps the Hope Diamond is one of the most famous blue diamonds in the world. This remarkable 45.2-carat diamond, featuring its Fancy Deep Greyish Blue, is valued at over $200 million.
It is believed that its history traces back to its first discovery in the 17th century in the same Golconda mine from where the Koh-i-Noor was unearthed. Originally weighing 112 carats, it was cut into a 69-carat gem and became part of the French Crown Jewels.
After its disappearance during the French Revolution, it was rediscovered in England in the 19th century.
After changing several hands, it was recut into 45.2 carats and named after its previous owner, Henry Philip Hope. It was eventually donated by Harry Winston, who bought it in 1949, to the Smithsonian Institution, and it remains on display until now.
2. The Cullinan — Up to $2 billion
Mined in South Africa in 1905, the Cullinan diamond, originally weighing an astonishing 3,106 carats, is the largest rough diamond ever discovered.
Named after the mine chairman, Thomas Cullinan, it has been cut into 105 different gems of various sizes.
While the two largest—Cullinan I (530.4 carats) and Cullinan II (317.4 carats)—adorn Britain’s Crown Jewels, the original rough’s value, if intact, could exceed $2 billion, a testament to its geological grandeur.
1. The Koh-i-Noor — Priceless
The Koh-i-Noor, meaning “mountain of light” in Persian, due to its richness in royal history, its cultural and political significance renders it irreplaceable, making it a priceless diamond and the most expensive diamond in the world.
It originally weighed 793 carats and was cut and polished into its current weight — 105.6 carats. The stone is believed to be mined in the Kollur Mine in Golconda, close to the Krishna River, in what is now Andhra Pradesh in India.
The Koh-i-Noor is not an ordinary diamond, as it has not been sold or bought, but a symbol of the rise and fall of a mighty empire. It has been a gemstone of the victors of India, Persia, and Afghanistan, eventually becoming part of the British crown jewels in the 19th century, the Koh-i-Noor now forms part of the Crown Jewels.
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The Graff Lesedi La Rona
Weighs an astonishing 1,109 carats. Purchased by Graff Diamonds for $53 million and cut into 66 exquisite diamonds.
The 302.37 carat diamond is the largest diamond with the highest clarity and colour ever graded by GIA.
From 1,109 carats rough diamond, a team of outstanding experts from Graff spent 18 months designing, cutting and polishing the diamond, which is a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
Have a bit of extra time, view our amazing PINK diamond rings…
