The past decade has seen remarkable wealth spent on the world’s most valuable jewelry. Many of these pieces bear famous histories from historic owners, and have been sold at some of the world’s premiere auction houses.
#10: $10 Million Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond Ring
Oct. 5, 2011
Sotheby’s Hong Kong
A rectangular fancy vivid blue diamond of 6.01 carats, embraced by twin oval pink diamonds (.46 and .44 carat) and mounted in platinum. This anonymous purchase broke the previous price-per-carat record for blue diamonds sold at auction.
#9: $10.5 Million Empress Eugenie Brooch
April 22, 2008
Christie’s New York
Bought by the Louvre, this 1885 brooch created by Parisian jeweler François Kramer was designed for the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew, Napoleon III. The brooch was bought in a private sale to return it home to France.
#8: $11 Million Heart-Shaped Unmounted Diamond
May 18, 2011
Geneva at Christie’s auction house
56.15 carats and cut from the Cullinan 1 diamond that now forms part of Great Britain’s Crown Jewels, this stone was advertised as “Love at First Sight” and was released for viewing on Valentine’s day.
#7: $11.8 Million Vivid Pink and White Diamond Ring
Dec. 1, 2009
Christie’s Hong Kong
Mounted by Graff Diamonds and weighing 5.00 carats, this oval stone boasts rare pink diamonds mined in South Africa, where their color comes from heat and pressure.
#6: $12.3 Million Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Diamond-and-Emerald Tiara
May 17, 2011
Geneva at the Sotheby’s auction house
Commissioned in 1900 for his second wife by German prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, it bears eleven pear-shaped polished emeralds totaling 500 carats and was won by an anonymous bidder.
#5: 12.4 Million Panther Bracelet
Nov. 30, 2010
Sotheby’s London
It’s rumored that this onyx-and-diamond piece, once owned by American Wallis Simpson – the woman whose love made King Edward VIII abdicate his throne – is now owned by Madonna.
#4: $15.7 Million Dual-Stone Two-Tone Bulgari Diamond Ring
May 19, 2010
Christie’s New York
A pair of triangular-cut diamonds, clear (9.87 carats) and fancy vivid blue (10.95 carats), highlight this design, dating from 1972 and purchased in a heated 3-way bidding war.
#3: $23.2 Million Perfect Pink
Nov. 29, 2010
Christie’s Hong Kong
A rare 14.23-carat pink diamond is the centerpiece of this rectangular ring, purchased by an anonymous bidder no doubt for its rarity and beautiful allure.
#2: $24.3 Million Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond
December 2008
Christie’s London
This historic stone, a fancy blue diamond with gray overtones, weighs in at 35.56 carats. Originating from India and thought to have once been owned by Spain’s King Philip IV, it was bought by Laurence Graff in 2008 for around $22 million and cut two years later by three separate cutters to remove its flaws.
#1: $46.2 Million Rounded-Edge Rectangular-Cut Pink Diamond
Nov. 10, 2010
Geneva at Sotheby’s
Bought by Laurence Graff, the stone weighs 24.78 carats and is mounted in platinum between a pair of diamond shoulders. It set the record for the most expensive single jewel sold at auction and was renamed “The Graff Pink” by its new owner.
It’s worth noting that the most expensive piece of jewelry on this list went for more than twice the value of the item before it. When it comes to elegance and sophistication, these pieces demonstrate it in spades.
Minnie Ward has owned and operated numerous successful jewelery stores over the past decade. She now enjoys traveling the world looking at unique pieces of jewelry from various cultures. She recommends shopping at Vertu for a wide selection of fine designer jewelry.
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