Archaeological artifacts show that people have used jewelry for thousands of years (even before prehistoric writing appeared!). Crowns and rings of gold and precious stones were the attributes of kings and tsars, and they have a long history as symbols of high status and power.
Now billionaires continue writing a glorious account of the role played by exclusive jewels in a historical book: their most expensive jewelry pieces are typically displayed at social events where their women are glad to show them. And they are proud to participate in creating the chronicles of jewel history.
- Koh-i-Noor Diamond, the Most Expensive Jewel ($1 billion)
- Cullinan Diamond ($400 million)
- Hope Diamond ($350 million)
- Pink Star, the Most Expensive Ring in the World ($71.2 million)
- Apollo and Artemis, the World’s Most Expensive Earrings ($57.4 million)
- The Incomparable, the Most Expensive Diamond Necklace in the World ($55 million)
- Graff Hallucination Bracelet Watch, the World’s Most Expensive Jewelry ($55 million)
Beauty has a natural attraction, and we hope you will yield to the temptation to look at the photos and read a few interesting facts about the most expensive jewelry in the world in 2022.
Our portal is for people whose personal jewelry collection is still in the process of being created! And we offer different services for those who want to preserve or earn their wealth. Our experts will help you:
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Alliedmarketresearch reports that the global jewelry market is expected to exceed $40.6 billion in 2022. The key players in this sector include Cartier, Louis Vuitton and Giorgio Armani SpA brands.
If we talk about the importance of valuable jewelry, it is hard to underestimate. In fact, many jewels are surrounded by secrecy: jewelry pieces are kept in private collections and never reach the public eye, and they are passed down from generation to generation. However, there are still some luxury jewelry pieces that attract the attention of the whole world with their exquisite beauty, history, and value, and they seem to be a part of global culture rather than just objects of beauty. Let’s have a look at these truly remarkable items that lure and inspire.
Koh-I-Noor Diamond, the Most Expensive Jewel ($1 Billion)
The Koh-i-Noor diamond is the most famous and high-priced diamond in the world. It originates from India, and it was among the crown jewels of the Queen of England for many years.
There is a powerful myth associated with the origin of the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Some say that the legendary priceless jewelry piece was a gift to the earth given by Surya, the god of the sun, and that evidence of its existence can be seen in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back more than 5,000 years.
Some members of the Hindu faith say that the diamond was stolen from Krishna, an Indian god, while he was sleeping; others believe that it is the jewel which was originally named Syamantaka and then renamed, and Syamantaka was a stone associated with tremendous magical power.
The 105.6-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond is described as colorless or pure white. The origin of the diamond is controversial: some believed that the diamond was mined either at the Kollur Mine in India or at one of the Golconda mines sometime in the 1300s.
This amazing expensive diamond weighed an incredible 793 carats until its first cut. When it belonged to the Kakatiya dynasty, the diamond weighed 186 carats. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, cut it to its present size to increase its luster.
The most famous and expensive jewelry in the world currently weighs 105.6 carats or 21.12 grams, and has 66 facets.
It is difficult to quote the price of the Koh-i-Noor diamond as it has been traded, stolen, or given away throughout its history, but not sold. No real price for the Koh-i-Noor diamond has ever been announced, so it is simply called priceless or considered the most expensive jewelry piece in the world. Experts give different estimates of the jewel’s value, ranging from 400 million dollars to more than 1 billion.
Cullinan Diamond ($400 million)
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the largest rough diamond to be used for jewelry was produced in the Cullinan Mines in South Africa. The original gemstone weighed 3106 carats or 621 grams. It was named after the discovery site, Cullinan.
During processing and cutting, the stone was divided into 9 diamonds, and they are now part of the Queen of Great Britain’s jewels.
Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa, weighs 530.2 carats, and it remained the largest and most expensive diamond until 1985 when the “Golden Jubilee” weighing 545.67 carats (produced at the same mine) overthrew it from the throne. However, it is still the largest pure-cut diamond. Now the expensive jewel rests on top of the Scepter with a Cross.
Cullinan II, or Second Star of Africa, has 66 facets and is mounted on the front of the Imperial Crown, beneath Koh-i-Noor.
Cullinan III and IV, known as the Little Star of Africa, and Cullinan V, VI, and VIII decorate the brooches.
Cullinan VII is a pendant in the Delhi Durbar necklace and Cullinan IX can be found in the Cullinan IX platinum ring.
Cullinan diamonds jointly cost far more than $400 million. The estimates of their value, reinforced by their status as part of the UK’s crown jewels and their much larger size, reach $2 billion.
Hope Diamond ($350 million)
The Hope Diamond is the world’s largest blue diamond in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was given to this prestigious institution in Washington by Harry Winston in 1958. The history and value of the Hope Diamond are the subject of numerous disputes and speculations by lovers of expensive jewelry.
This dark blue gem is known for its incredible beauty and curse that haunts its owners throughout its fascinating and mysterious history. The first owner of the expensive jewelry is unknown, but he was the courtier and administrator of the property of King Louis XIV of France, King George IV of England, and Sultan Abdülhamid II of Turkey.
The Hope Diamond is one of the most famous and expensive diamonds on the planet. It is a rare natural blue diamond, the largest one ever discovered in the world: the stone originally weighed 112 3/16 carats. After cutting, this 45.52-carat dark gray-blue diamond was classified as a Type IIb diamond with VS1 purity. In other words, it’s almost perfect!
This 45.52-carat dark blue diamond is now valued at approximately $350 million.
One of the things that makes this expensive stone so famous is the curse that follows its owners.
Evelyn Walsh McLean, one of the first diamond owners, was the first to fall victim to this curse. Her husband bought her a precious jewel in 1911, and after that McLean’s husband, son and daughter died tragically. Despite the curse, McLean did not sell the expensive jewelry, hoping that no one else would suffer from his curse.
After her death, the Hope Diamond was found in a shoebox under her bed.
In 1949, Harry Winston bought the diamond from Mrs. McLean’s estate and gave it to the Smithsonian Museum in 1958. Despite its value of $350 million, Winston decided to send the diamond by registered mail. He put the expensive jewel in a box wrapped in brown paper. The parcel, insured for the amount equivalent to approximately $1 million today, arrived safely at its destination.
Pink Star, the Most Expensive Ring in the World ($ 71.2 Million)
In 2017, the Pink Star diamond ring was sold at Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong for 71.2 million, and it became the most expensive piece of jewelry in the world ever auctioned.
With a weight of 59.60 carats (the size of strawberries), a bright pink diamond without internal defects is unparalleled in size and quality.
Industry experts say that the Pink Star diamond ring is worth a lot of money because there is no diamond similar in quality and size, and no pink diamond will ever come close to it. “A bright pink diamond of this size is a natural wonder,” said Tom Moses, executive vice president of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
In the past 30 years, Argyle Mine in Western Australia has been the world’s largest source of pink diamonds (providing about 80% of these impressive gems), and only 0.1% of the 20 million carats of annual mine production was classified as pink diamonds. Moreover, very few of these stones were more than a few carats in size, which means that Pink Star is a really special one.
The mine was depleted and closed in 2020, and the supply of pink diamonds has now become even more sporadic and rare.
The most expensive ring in the world contains a diamond mined in Africa in 1999. Its original weight was more than 132 carats, and it was originally named Steinmetz Pink after the diamond company that bought it. This beautiful rare jewel was exhibited at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington.
Like many historical name diamonds, the Pink Star also has an interesting and variable history. When Steinz offered the diamond at Sotheby’s auction in Geneva in 2013, the lot was bought for $83 million. However, the buyer (Isaac Wolfe, a New York-based diamond cutter) failed to make the payment. Since Sotheby’s had a $60 million diamond guarantee, it purchased the pink diamond. Fortunately for the auction house, the rare beauty and size of the expensive jewel made it famous and desirable.
When Sotheby’s offered the precious ring jewel for sale in April 2017, there was a bidding war between the three players. The winner, Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook, bought the expensive jewelry piece for $71.2 million and named it CTF Pink after the initials of the company founder.
Apollo and Artemis, the World’s Most Expensive Earrings ($57.4 million)
Apollo and Artemis, a pair of pear-shaped “divine diamond twins” (blue for the boy and pink for the girl) encrusted in earrings, were named after the heavenly brother and sister to symbolize their great power and beauty.
Perfectly matched in size, cut and tone, and set in a stunning set of earrings, Apollo Blue and Artemis Pink were sold for $57.4 million in May 2017 at Sotheby’s Auction in Geneva.
These two long-awaited rare colored diamonds, presented at pre-sale exhibitions in Hong Kong, London, Dubai and New York, broke all records even before they actually found their new owner, and were declared the most expensive pair of diamond earrings ever auctioned.
Although the Blue Apollo and Pink Artemis earrings are a paired piece, they were offered in separate lots due to the extreme rarity and value of both natural-colored diamonds. Both colors are among the rarest among colored diamonds, occurring in less than 0.1% of all natural-colored ones.
The Blue Apollo with a weight of 14.54 carats was sold for $42.1 million, becoming (as expected) the most expensive lot at the auction. Its pair, the Artemis Pink, an intensely pink diamond weighing 16.00 carats, was sold for $15.3 million and became the second best-selling lot at the auction.
The pair, sold together for a phenomenal $57.4 million, set a record for the most expensive earrings ever purchased at an auction. Apollo Blue is also the biggest bright blue diamond with the flawless interior finish ever auctioned.
The Incomparable, the Most Expensive Diamond Necklace in the World ($55 million)
The Incomparable necklace is worth a jaw-dropping $55 million – mainly because of a precious pendant stone, a brownish-yellow diamond without internal defects weighing 407.48 carats. This gem is set in rose gold and adorned with 91 white diamonds. The total weight of this parade is an amazing 637 carats.
An aesthetically “incomparable” diamond necklace resembles a vine as the main stone hangs from the stem. This expensive decoration is priceless because of its exotic asymmetric design and thanks to the interesting story behind it.
Legend has it that the original gem was found by a poor girl a few decades ago in the Congo. This rare and precious stone became the main attraction of popular museums, including the Smithsonian Museum, before being cut and placed in a necklace at the Mouawad Jewelry Company. The central gem is considered the largest and most expensive impeccable diamond in the world.
Graff Hallucination Bracelet-Watch, the World’s Most Expensive Jewelry ($55 Million)
Gemstone bracelets are popular, and the most expensive piece of jewelry in the form of a bracelet-watch is the Hallucination manufactured by the Graff jewelry house.
The most precious jewelry watch in the world ever created is the brainchild of Laurence Graff, chairman of the board of Graff Diamonds. They were presented at Baselworld 2014 and called “a sculptural masterpiece, a glorification of the wonder of colored diamonds.”
Graff Diamonds Hallucination is worth a mind-blowing $55 million. With this money, you can buy a triplex of Aston Martin cars in Miami, which comes with the last of the 24 Vulcan cars ever produced, and you will be additionally left with $5 million to drink coffee with friends. But you would have missed the exclusivity of the only diamond watch.
There is only one Hallucination watch in the world, and it took Graff years to collect all the diamonds inserted into it. Following that, watchmakers and master jewelers spent thousands of hours cutting and fixing each gem on the Hallucination platinum bracelet. It contains overall more than 110 carats of the world’s rarest and most expensive colored diamonds (fantasy rich pink, fantasy light gray-blue, fantasy orange, fantasy green), cut in various forms (from round to marquise).
Graff Diamonds selected a tiny quartz dial covered in pink diamonds. It does not require frequent winding or power reserve, and it is really precise if we use it to know the time.
Hallucination is attached to the wrist with a tab clasp. It can be unlocked using a spring mechanism activated by pressing on a diamond.
And this is the end of the story about jewelry, and we hope you enjoyed it. As you see, these are assets that require very strong protection. The property you possess may be not as exclusive as Cullinan, but it still plays a very important role in your life.
To protect your assets, we offer assistance in opening a foreign bank account. Start with your first free consultation where we will help you choose the right foreign bank to open an account.
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