Most of us will lust after a piece of diamond jewellery at some point in our lives, men included. Diamonds represent the ultimate luxury, a symbol of wealth and exquisite taste. The clear, crystal purity of a fine white diamond, sparkling from a pair of diamond earrings or a diamond pendant as it catches the light will never go out of fashion. And the diamond solitaire engagement ring is completely timeless.
Whatever your budget and style, you’ll be able to find a piece of diamond jewellery to suit. Eternity rings, always popular, can be set with a combinations of diamonds and other less expensive stones to bring the price down whilst allowing the wearer to express a bit of personality through their choice of colour. Micro pave, where lots of tiny diamonds are set very close together in the metal, is a cheaper way for getting a big diamond look for less money.
But what if budget wasn’t a problem? If the sky was the limit, what sort of diamond would you be able to pick up if money was no object?
Well, if you had a spare $100 million knocking around in your back pocket why not try and snap up the De Beers Centenary Diamond? Although it’s exact value and current owner are unknown since it was sold in 2008, its value was stated at the time of unveiling in 1991 for insurance purposes. At 273.85 carats, it is rated as grade 2 in colour, the highest grade for a colourless diamond and is internally and externally flawless.
Next up is the famous Hope Diamond. This gem is the second-most visited museum artefact in the world, after the Mona Lisa and is on display at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. A 45.52 carat, deep blue diamond, thanks to the presence of boron within the stone, the Hope Diamond is famous for allegedly being cursed and is stunningly beautiful. If you were thinking of buying it, it has an estimated value of around $200 – $250 million.
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever discovered at 3,106.75 carats in weight. Now cut into nine stones, two of which are set into the British Crown Jewels, they are examples of the very finest in colourless diamonds. With an estimated combined worth of over $400 million, it’s unlikely you would ever be able to buy even one, as they are all owned by the British Royal Family.
And so we move on to the second most expensive diamond in the world, the Sancy Diamond. A pale yellow, 55.23 carat stone, its value comes mainly from its long history. Its cut is unusual by western standards and puts its origins in India. It first came to note as belonging to the Duke of Burgundy, and then passed to his cousin the King of Portugal upon his death in 1495.
Henry the III of France borrowed the diamond for wear, whilst Henry the IV used it to finance his army. Ownership moved to the British Royal Family for a while and then transferred back to France when James II used it to avoid destitution during his exile there.
It was stolen during the French Revolution and surfaced again in 1828. It moved from Russia to India and went through long periods of disappearing from the records. Its final owner was William Waldorf Astor who sold it to the Louvre in 1878. Although it does not have an official valuation, it’s illustrious past makes it priceless.
Finally, we have the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, the world’s most precious diamond. At an impressive 105.6 carats, this white diamond has a troubled past. Seized from an Indian Raja by the East India Company in the 19th Century, it then became part of the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877 and is currently set in Elizabeth II’s crown.
It has never been traded, so has no documented value, but as part of the Crown Jewels, valued in total at over £12 billion pounds, it’s safe to say it is the most precious diamond in the world.