10 OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE DIAMONDS IN THE WORLD

1. The Kohinoor : The Kohinoor is considered to be the most expensive diamond in the world.
Originally found in Golconda, ndhra !radesh, the diamond means as "#ountain of $ight% in
!ersian. &ts a '() carat *+'., grams- diamond that was owned by various .i/h, #ughal and
!ersian rulers that fought each other from time to time. The stone was found to measure 0,.(( 1
0'.2( 1 '0.(3 mm. 4ritish rulers ac5uired it through the 4ritish 6ast &ndia company and it has
been part of the 4ritish crown since. &t is /ept in 7# Tower of $ondon and is a popular tourist
attraction. &ts total value is un/nown but it is estimated to be worth between '(8'0 billion
pounds.
2. The San! : The .ancy is a centuries8old diamond passed down through generations of
6uropean royalty. !rior to that it was /nown to have belonged to the Great #oghuls. &t is also
believed to be of &ndian origin. The .ancy is )).+0 carat *''.() grams- of pale yellow diamond.
This is the first large diamond to be cut with symmetrical facets. The stone is also unusual
because it has no pavilion 9 :ust a pair of crowns, one on the other.
The .ancy fetched nine million .wiss francs *;2.< million- at an auction in Geneva in #ay +('+.
The 0)8carat =4eau .ancy= diamond was worn by #arie de #edici, >ueen consort of 7enry &?,
at her coronation in ','(. n anonymous telephone bidder purchased the :ewel, put on the
mar/et by the 7ouse of !russia and described by sellers .otheby@s as one of the =most
fascinating and romantic= gems ever to come to auction.
". The #$%%inan : The Aullinan Biamond is 0,'(,,<) carats *,+'.0) grams- diamond and is the
largest rough gem 5uality diamond ever found in the world. &t was originally discarded by a
hasty mine manager who figured it was far too large to be anything other than a crystal. &t was
later recovered and re8gifted to King 6dward ?&& in '2(<. fter being polished it was cut into
nine smaller diamond pieces 9 the largest piece *Aullinan & or .tar frica first - was of )0(.+
carats. Two of the nine stones are part of the 4ritish Arown.
&. The Ho'e Dia(on) : The 7ope Biamond is worth ;0)( million and is possibly the worlds
best8/nown gemstone. The diamond is 3).)+ carats *2.'( grams- and now located in the
.mithsonian #useum of Catural 7istory in Dashington BA. The diamond appears blue in color
to the na/ed eye because of the number of traces of boron in the crystal structure but it shines a
red colour under ultraviolet light.
This diamonds story begins in the '<th century when a Erench merchant traveler sold an
uncut diamond he described as having a beautiful violet colour to King $oius F&?. The stone
was cut and named $e 4leu Erance. &t changed hands several times throughout the following +((
years and eventually landed in the private collection of the 6nglish financier in 'G0G, after whom
it is now named 9 7enry !hilip 7ope. &t was later sold to 7arry Dinston, who ultimately
be5ueathed it to the .mithsonian in '2)G. The diamond is mysteriously considered to be a curse
diamond that brings misfortune or tragedy to people who own it or wear it.
*. De +eer, #en-enar! Dia(on) : Dorth a ;'(( million, the Be 4eers Aentenary Biamond is a
flawless, colorless stone, discovered in .outh fricas !remier #ine in '2G,. Camed to
commemorate the '((th anniversary of Be 4eers Aonsolidated #ines, it was first presented to
the public in its )228carat, uncut form in '2GG. !hoto by !atric/ $andmannHGetty &mages
Be 4eers then spent three years cutting the Aentenary Biamond, unveiling it as a +<0.G)8carat,
modified heart8shaped stone in Eebruary '22'. &t was displayed in the Tower of $ondon for
several years thereafter, and is now privately owned.
.. The /ra00 Pin1 : The +3.<G8carat, emerald8cut diamond was owned by 7arry Dinston for ,(
years. The gemstone, rated among a type that accounts for :ust two percent of diamonds
&n +('(, the Eancy &ntense !in/ stone was mounted on a platinum ring and sold by .othebys
Geneva. Bavid 4ennett, director of the international :ewelry department at .othebys, reported,
"& cannot exaggerate :ust how rare this stone is. This sale is one of the most exciting of my 0)8
year career.%
$aurence Graff purchased what is now called the Graff !in/ Biamond for ;3, million,
helping .othebys set a record for the most expensive :ewel ever sold at auction.
2. The S-ein(e-3 Pin1 : Deighing in at )2.,( carats, the .teinmetI !in/ is the largest diamond
to be categoriIed as Eancy ?ivid !in/ by the Gemological &nstitute of merica. The .teinmetI
!in/ is )2.,( carats *''.2+ grams- and estimated to be worth ; +) million. &ts the largest /nown
diamond that given a color as Eancy vivid pin/ ever.
Owned by the Geneva8based .teinmetI Biamond Group, the stone was presented to the
public at a #onaco ceremony in #ay +((0, then loaned to the .mithsonian. .een here, actress
Jenna 6lfman models the .teinmetI !in/ diamond at the .mithsonian Cational #useum of
Catural 7istory in +((0.
4. The Wi--%,5ah6/ra00 : The 0',(, carat diamond was sold at a Ahristie@s auction in
Becember +((G in $ondon for a record K.B +3.0 million. &t is also of &ndian origin, coming
from the Kollur mine.
This deep blue stone has a royal past. &n the '<th Aentury, .panish /ing !hilip &?
included it in his daughters dowry, after which it became part of the crown :ewels of both
ustria and 4avaria. &n +((G, 6nglish :eweler $aurence Graff purchased the stone, then called
der 4laue Dittelsbach, from Ahristies $ondon. 7e wor/ed with a diamond cutter to remove all
impurities, and renamed it the Dittelsbach8Graff.
7. The Arh)$1e 8o,e'h : &n Covember +('+, this <,.(+8carat diamond set a new record for the
most expensive colorless diamond per carat ever sold at auction.
Originally discovered in the Golconda mines in &ndia, the cushion8shaped diamond was
named for ustrias rchdu/e Joseph ugust, the great8grandson of a Loman emperor and a
Erench /ing.
The anonymous buyer at Ahristies Geneva in +('+ purchased the stone for ;+'.3 million
and reportedly plans to donate the diamond to a museum.
10. Hear- o0 E-erni-! : To round off our top ten we have the @7eart of 6ternity@ estimated to be
worth ;', million. The 7eart of 6ternity is a +<.,3 carats *).)+G g- diamond with a color rated
as Eancy ?ivid 4lue by the Gemological &nstitue of merica. &t was cut by the .teinmetI group
before sold to Be 4eers Group. The diamond itself was found in premier diamond mine in .outh
frica.