Rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and other gemstones are known the world over for their beauty
and clarity.
But what are some of the best ones?
I'm Chris!!
Join me as I reveal to you 11 of the most valuable gemstones ever found.
11.
Pink Star The Pink Star is the largest diamond in the
world to be declared color wise as Fancy Vivid Pink by the Gemological Institute of America.
The Pink Star was owned by the Geneva-based Steinmetz Diamond Group, who presented the
59.60 carat diamond to the world via a showing in Monaco in 2003.
After the reveal, it was lent to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History so that
it could be viewed by many more people.
Though technically not sold, the appraisal of the diamond revealed it to be worth around
25 million dollars.
The diamond can now be found in Sotheby's.
10.
The Vittle-s-bac Graff Diamond This particular diamond got a bit of a change
after it was sold at auction, and people weren't happy about it.
The Vittle-s-bac Graff Diamond was bought by the legendary Sir Graff himself, and got
the diamond for a little under $25 million dollars.
However, when he bought it, the stone had a special color, grey.
Grey is one of the rarest diamond colors in the world.
But, when Graff got the diamond, he had it adjusted so that it would have blue hue instead.
Many didn't like it, and criticized him for changing the natural beauty of the gemstone.
The diamond itself is 35.36 carats, and is still worth a pretty penny even with its changed
color.
What do you think??
Is it better to have a natural diamond that is grey, or a modified diamond that’s blue??
Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear your opinion.
Although I am not on the market for a $25 million dollar diamond, but you know!!
9.
The Sunrise Ruby In regards to the most expensive, or valuable,
ruby in the world, there is only one choice, and that's the Sunrise Ruby.
Why?
Well, because when it was sold at an auction, it was valued and sold at $30 million dollars.
There are some in the world who even value it as the "rarest of all gemstones".
Some even go so far as to label it a "unique treasure of nature."
The ruby itself is 25.59 carats, and has the color of "pigeon blood".
But you might be asking, why does this one get such attention?
Well, all gemstones have a "quality" to them, and the better the quality, the better the
stone.
For whatever reason, the Sunrise Ruby has a quality to it that is virtually unmatched.
Experts admit that there are other gemstones like this in the world in terms of quality,
however, they're often very small.
So to have one this size, which can be prominently shown on a ring, is very rare and valuable
indeed.
And now for number 8!
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8.
The Graff Pink Diamond Pink diamonds are one of the most valuable
diamonds in the world today, and one of the most valued ones ever is the Graff Pink Diamond.
The diamond was once owned by Harry Winston, who kept the diamond for over 60 years.
The 24.78 carat diamond was very special in numerous ways.
Eventually, it sold, and then put onto a ring that was sold by Sotheby’s.
Geneva, one of the directors of the company noted:
“I cannot exaggerate just how rare this stone is.
This sale is one of the most exciting of my 35-year career.”
When it went to auction, the stone sold for an incredible $47.2 million dollars.
This purchase helped set a record for the most expensive piece of jewelry ever sold
at an auction.
7.
Oppen-hi-mer Blue Diamond While colored diamonds are rare and special,
few are as rare as the Oppen-hi-mer Blue Diamond.
Why?
Well, it's a pure blue that is just not found in nature very often, so to find this on a
diamond of any size makes it special.
Now, as for its owner, it used to be owned by one Sir Philip Oppenheimer, hence how the
stone got its name.
In 2016, the diamond was put up for auction, and to the amazement of all present, the gem
sold for an astounding $56 million dollars.
Lest you think that this is a overpriced bid, the Oppen-hi-mer Blue Diamond is rather large,
and it's considered to be the largest blue diamonds ever found.
6.
De Beers Cent-en-ary Diamond The De Beers Cent-en-ary Diamond breaks the
bank in many ways when it was appraised at $100 million dollars.
Making it one of the most valuable diamonds in the history of the world.
But its history is also important.
The diamond was found in 1986, and was discovered in the Premier Mine that was owned by the
company.
The diamond was brought to De Beers to celebrate something truly special, the 100th year of
their diamond mine.
All told, the diamond in its original untouched state, was a whopping 599-carats, which is
very big.
However, as diamond owners know, the purity and design of the gemstone is what's truly
important.
So, De Beers spent three year cutting and refining the form of the diamond until it
was the perfect symbol of what the company wanted for their 100th anniversary.
In the end, the De Beers Centenary Diamond came in at 273.85 carats.
When it was appraised, it was given D levels by the Gemological Institute of America, which
is the highest grade possible for a colorless diamond.
Once finished in 1991, the company toured it around the world to show it off.
It even spent some time in the Tower Of London as a main attraction.
Eventually though, it was sold and is privately owned to this day.
5.
The Star of Adam When it comes to sapphires, there are simple
versions, and then there are rare versions.
One of the rarest of the gemstone is the Blue Star Sapphire, and in 2016, a man in Sri Lanka
found the biggest one in the world.
How big was it?
Well, it was 1,404 carats.
And though the owner remains anonymous, he values the massive blue sapphire at a whopping
$300 million dollars.
If you don't know, there's one thing that makes Blue Star Sapphires stand out from others,
if you put them under a light, they'll reveal a six-pointed star, and that's exactly what
this one does.
To that end, the owner named the sapphire the "Star of Adam".
There's a big demand for sapphires in the world right now, which makes the Star of Adam
one of the most valuable gemstones around in terms of desire alone.
4.
Hope Diamond The legendary Hope Diamond is legendary for
numerous reasons.
First and foremost, it's an incredibly valuable blue diamond, one measured to be 45.52 carats.
In total, it's worth is approximately 350 million dollars.
But while it is valuable, the "curse" of the object is arguably what people associate it
more with.
For the origin of this diamond, you have to go to a temple in India.
A Hindu Priest there stole the gem, and later died.
Eventually, the gem was found, and made its way to Europe in 1642.
There, it was bought by a French merchant, who would eventually sell it to King Louis
The 14th.
That merchant also died.
King Louis and his wife were killed, and it later passed on from person to person, including
a potential encounter with a British King whose family had to sell the diamond to pay
off his massive debts, "proving" that the diamond would ruin you as much as it would
kill you.
Eventually, it wound up in the hands of a man named Henry Thomas Hope, which is the
person the diamond was eventually named after.
Several owners after him followed, and more tales of death, insanity, poverty, and more
came.
The curse of the Hope Diamond is legendary, which ironically makes it even more valuable,
even though people have been very wary to try and steal it, lest fear the wrath of the
curse themselves.
Regardless of what is real and what is fiction, the Hope Diamond is not cursing anyone anymore,
for its last owner was wise enough to donate it to the Smithsonian in 1958, and it's still
there to this day.
3.
The Cull-ee-nun The Cull-ee-nun has the honor of being the
biggest rough diamond ever discovered in the world.
It was in a South African mine in 1905, one that happened to be owned by diamond magnate
Sir Thomas Cull-ee-nun Originally, the mine manager who found the
diamond actually thought it was a crystal, as the size was so immense that it was "impossible"
that it could be a real diamond.
So he threw it away, though later it was found out to be the real deal.
The diamond itself was a massive 3106.75 carats once it was appraised.
In 1907, The Cull-ee-nun was actually given as a gift to King Edward The 7th of England.
But instead of giving the king a single diamond, The Cull-ee-nun was cut and carved into nine
pieces.
These diamonds are now known as the Crown Jewels of England alongside the "Great Star
of Africa" diamond.
These are without a doubt some of the most prized and valued diamonds in history, both
in part because of their individual value, and the history that goes alongside them.
Estimates have the diamonds at $400 million in worth.
2.
The Ba-Hee-ah Emerald Here is an emerald with a very interesting
history, one that has seen it nearly destroyed, stolen, and so much more.
The Ba-Hee-ah Emerald was found in Brazil, near Bahia, hence the name.
It is one of the world's largest uncut emeralds, which just adds to its value and beauty to
some.
It is so untouched in terms of refinement that it's actually embedded in rock, but it's
estimated to be 341kg.
The emerald hasn't had it easy though.
It was in a warehouse in New Orleans once, but not long after Hurricane Katrina hit,
and it almost washed it away via the rising waters.
Many feel it was a miracle it wasn't lost.
Then, in 2008, it was somehow stolen from a vault in California.
Though it was retrieved back.
In terms of value, the Bahia Emerald was once appraised to be worth $400 million dollars.
Many speculate though that it could be worth much more now.
1.
Koh-ee-nor Diamond The Koh-ee-nor is not only one of the most
valuable diamond in the world, it's arguably the most controversial.
As it was given to England under controversial circumstances, then placed as the headpiece
of the literal Crown to the Queen.
Some view it as priceless, others view it at around $200 million, and others view it
as high as 1 billion dollars.
The Koh-ee-nor originated in India.
It then disappeared until 1526, when the Mongols revealed that they had it.
In its raw form, the diamond was around 793 carats, it was then carved and refined by
the Mongols until it was 186 carats.
In 1830, the ruler of India got the diamond back for his country.
But when the British took over India, it's said that the Koh-ee-nor was given to the
Queen as a gift, others feel that it was stolen during their reign.
It's actually a very contested debate to this date.
Many have asked England to return the diamond, but they refuse to yield it.
Because of its attachment to the crown, and the fact that it's never been formally appraised
(since it was later cut again by Prince Albert into the diamond that is now known), the price
as noted varies depending on who you talk to.
If the crown is included in the value, then the price is thought to go up into the tens
of billions of dollars.
Thanks for watching!
What did you think of these gemstones?
Can you believe their worth?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
WL!