Earlier this 12 months, the De Beers Blue was auctioned at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Fetching a worth of greater than USD 57.4 million, it is without doubt one of the costliest diamonds on this planet ever offered at an public sale.

The De Beers Blue was found as a tough stone in South Africa’s historic Cullinan mine in April 2021. In keeping with Sotheby’s, the 15.10-carat gem is the biggest and most beneficial blue diamond ever to be offered at an public sale. It’s also the biggest internally flawless step-cut vivid blue diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

It’s noteworthy that De Beers Blue is the primary blue diamond weighing over 15 carats to have come to the public sale desk. Solely 5 blue diamonds of over 10 carats have beforehand been offered at auctions.

Moreover, diamonds are among the many costliest gems in historical past, prized for his or her magnificence, shine and rarity. Thus, the estimated worth of De Beers Blue was not a shock.

Grading and certification of priceless diamonds

The worth of all diamonds is measured as a mix of 4 Cs — carat, reduce, color and readability. Aside from the GIA, diamonds are rated by the American Gem Society (AGS). Collectively, they’re the 2 most reputed diamond grading and certification our bodies on this planet.

Though a number of the world’s most well-known diamonds are deemed priceless, there isn’t a sale file of those most sought-after gems in historical past. Furthermore, a few of them haven’t even been evaluated in recent times, which may have decided their estimated worth. Others, particularly pink and blue diamonds, have been auctioned the world over for file costs.

Koh-i-Noor

Koh-I-Noor means ‘Mountain of Mild’, and the gem is taken into account the world’s most well-known priceless diamond. Initially weighing 793 carats, it has been reduce and polished over centuries into the current type of a 105.6-carat gem.

It’s broadly believed that the diamond was mined throughout the reign of the Kakatiya dynasty (eleventh to twelfth century) in India’s Golconda area. Later, it got here into the possession of the Mughals. When Nader Shah of Persia sacked Delhi after defeating Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, he took the diamond together with the Peacock Throne, wherein it was encrusted.

In 1813, the diamond got here into the possession of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh earlier than ultimately falling into the arms of the British.

For the reason that nineteenth century, the diamond has remained within the possession of the British royal household. It’s positioned on the entrance of the crown worn by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mom — Queen Elizabeth II’s mom. The Koh-i-Noor was final seen in public in 2002 when the crown was positioned atop the coffin of the Queen Mom.

The Cullinan

Mined in South Africa in 1905, the Cullinan diamond initially weighed 3,106 carats — the biggest tough diamond in historical past. Nonetheless, it’s now a set of 105 gems of various cuts and weights.

The Cullinan, some of the magnificent diamonds on this planet, was named after Thomas Cullinan, the chairman of the mine. The price of the stone can be an estimated USD 400 million within the present market.

There are 9 massive items of the diamond, totalling roughly 1,055 carats, apart from different smaller cuts.

The most important piece is called Cullinan I and weighs 530.20 carats, making it the biggest clear reduce diamond on this planet. The Cullinan I is mounted on the spectre of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Cullinan II, weighing 317.40 carats, is a part of the Imperial State Crown. These are additionally known as the ‘Star of Africa’ and ‘Lesser Star of Africa’, respectively.

Cullinans III, IV and V are a part of Queen Elizabeth II’s pendant brooch. The remaining 4 are additionally a part of The Queen’s private jewelry.

The Hope

Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French traveller, bought a 112-carat diamond, which ultimately got here to be often known as the Hope. It’s believed that it was present in the identical Golconda mine from the place the Koh-i-Noor got here. In his information, Tavernier described that the diamond had a “lovely violet” color.

Tavernier offered it to King Louis XIV. Through the years, it got here to be recognised because the “Blue Diamond of the Crown”. Nonetheless, the diamond was stolen in 1792 and emerged in London in 1812. After altering a number of arms, together with King George IV, and crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the diamond ended up within the Smithsonian Establishment in 1958.

The Hope diamond has remained within the Establishment’s assortment ever since and has been publicly displayed outdoors of Smithsonian solely 4 occasions. Whereas the load of the diamond is 45 carats, its estimated price is USD 200-350 million.

De Beers Centenary

Regardless that the De Beers Centenary Diamond was found within the Premier Mine in South Africa in 1986, its existence was introduced two years later on the a centesimal anniversary of De Beers in Kimberley. That is the way it acquired its identify — Centenary.

Weighing 599 carats, it was one of many world’s largest top-colour diamonds. The Centenary was then reduce down right into a heart-shaped gem of 273.85 carats with 247 completely aligned aspects. The GIA licensed the diamond’s color as D — the best ranking for colourless diamonds — and internally and externally flawless in readability.

On the time of its unveiling in 1991, it was the biggest identified colourless modern-cut diamond. The Centenary has by no means been valuated, but it surely was insured for USD 100 million earlier than it was placed on show in 1991. Nobody is aware of who owns the diamond and subsequently, its present location stays a thriller.

CTF Pink Star diamond

Oval in form, the internally flawless gem is the world’s largest vivid pink diamond. Although the precise location is unknown, it was mined by De Beers in Africa in 1999. The stone weighed 132.5 carats on the time. For over two years, consultants from The Steinmetz Group reduce and polished it right into a 59.60-carat diamond.

It was first displayed in public in Monaco in 2003. On the time, it was often known as the Steinmetz Pink diamond.

In April 2017, the Pink Star was offered for USD 71.2 million at a Sotheby’s public sale in Hong Kong to city-based jewelry firm Chow Tai Fook. The proprietor of the jewelry renamed it CTF Pink Star in honour of his father.

To this point, it’s the costliest diamond ever offered at an public sale.

Williamson Pink Star

On 7 October 2022, the Williamson Pink Star diamond was offered at a Sotheby’s public sale in Hong Kong for USD 57.7 million. The 11.15-carat cushion-shaped diamond thus grew to become the second most beneficial jewel or gemstone ever offered at public sale.

The per-carat worth of the diamond was greater than USD 5 million, breaking the file set by the 18.96-carat Winston Pink Legacy whose per-carat worth got here to USD 2.6 million when it was offered in 2018.

The diamond was discovered within the Williamson Mine in Tanzania, after which it’s named. In keeping with the public sale home, the mine produced ‘bubblegum’ pink diamonds through the years. Its most well-known gemstone is maybe the 23.6-carat Williamson Pink Diamond, which was among the many issues owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II who handed away on 8 September 2022.

Oppenheimer Blue diamond

Earlier than the CTF Pink Star, the Oppenheimer Blue was the most costly diamond to have been offered at an public sale when it went underneath the hammer for USD 57.5 million at Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in 2016.

The 14.62-carat diamond, which is graded as a elaborate vivid blue diamond, was named after its proprietor Sir Philip Oppenheimer, whose household as soon as managed the De Beers Mining Firm.

It’s an especially uncommon diamond as a result of solely 10 p.c of all blue diamonds are bigger than a carat. The emerald-cut diamond has a VVS1 readability grade — a grade under Internally Flawless.

Blue Moon of Josephine

In November 2015, the vivid blue diamond offered for USD 48.4 million at a Sotheby’s public sale in Hong Kong. On the time, the 12.03-carat diamond was the most costly ever to have been offered at an public sale.

The Blue Moon diamond, as was identified on the time, was purchased by billionaire Joseph Lau for his daughter. He renamed it ‘Blue Moon of Josephine’ after her.

In 2014, the diamond was found as a 29.6-carat tough reduce within the Cullinan mine by Petra Diamonds in South Africa. Petra offered it to Cora Worldwide, which gave the diamond its current form.

Graff Pink

The Graff Pink diamond was final offered for USD 46.2 million at a Sotheby’s public sale in 2010, making it the most costly transaction on the time for a diamond at an public sale. It will get its identify from its present proprietor — Laurence Graff of Graff Diamonds.

The 24.78-carat Fancy Intense Pink emerald-cut diamond was not seen in the marketplace for 60 years earlier than the sale. After Graff acquired it, his workforce labored on additional enhancing the look of the diamond. Consequently, the Graff Pink is now a 23.88 carats Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond. Already uncommon due to its color and dimension, the gem grew to become even rarer.

The historical past of the diamond isn’t very clear. Earlier than Graff, its proprietor was jeweller Harry Winston who offered it within the Fifties to an unknown purchaser.

The Princie

The Princie is without doubt one of the world’s finest identified pink diamonds, and is little shock that it’s one of many world’s costliest diamonds. In 2013, it offered at a Christie’s public sale in New York Metropolis for USD 39.3 million.

Like many different extremely precious diamonds, the 34.65-carat Princie comes from the mines of the Golconda area. In keeping with Christie’s, it was found round 300 years in the past. Certainly one of its homeowners was the Nizam of Hyderabad, described because the richest man on this planet by Time journal in 1937.

The diamond acquired its identify in honour of the Prince of Baroda, son of Maharani Sita Devi, who attended a celebration thrown by its final proprietor Van Cleef & Arpels in Paris.

The diamond’s present proprietor stays nameless.

The Orange

That is the biggest fancy vivid orange diamond to have ever been offered at an public sale. It was bought for USD 35.5 million at Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in 2013.

The 14.82-carat, pear-shaped stone was present in South Africa and was owned by early-Twentieth-century Bolivian industrialist Simón Iturri Patiño, famously often known as ‘The Andean Rockefeller’.

Sancy

Like many different diamonds, the Sancy diamond, too, originated in India and had many homeowners. Weighing solely 55 carats, the diamond resides within the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

It’s believed that the primary proprietor of the diamond, following its discovery in India, was Charles the Daring, Duke Burgundy. It was handed on to his cousin, King Manuel I of Portugal, after which to the latter’s inheritor Dom António. When the Spanish threatened Dom António, he fled with the diamond and used it to fund his battle.

Ultimately, it reached Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy, a French Ambassador to Turkey, in 1570, after whom the diamond was named.

The diamond modified notable arms comparable to King Henry III, King James I and King Louis XIV over the following couple of centuries until it got here into possession of William Waldorf Astor in 1906. The diamond was offered by the Astor household to The Louvre for USD 1 million in 1978.

(Hero and featured pictures: Anthony Wallace/AFP)

This story first appeared on Life-style Asia Singapore