“Art of de Grisogono, Creation 1."
Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
7 of the Most Expensive Diamonds Sold at Auction
Discover the unique features and dazzling quality of these multimillion-dollar wonders
Gather up the world’s most expensive diamonds on the planet—especially those that have recently sold at auction—and the vast majority are likely to be pink or blue. That’s because the cost of a diamond is in direct proportion to its rarity (and fancy color diamonds are the rarest around—accounting for 0.1% to 1% of diamond production worldwide).
When the topic shifts to white or colorless diamonds, however, it’s not as if they’re going for pennies in comparison. Hardly. Their hammer prices, too, can skyrocket into the millions. And when you look at those that have fetched the highest sums of all time, some clear commonalities emerge: As with any diamond, top grades on the Four Cs (carat weight, color, clarity and cut) are a must. Then the diamond has to be big—really big—and preferably 100 carats or more. The stone also should fall within the highest color grades of D, E or F (also known as “colorless”) and rate a clarity classification of “internally flawless.”
Beyond these factors, each of the diamonds highlighted in our lineup below has an inherent star quality, dazzling their admirers with their unique characteristics and personalities.
Hong Kong Magnificent Oval. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
1. Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Oval: $30.8 million
This 118.28 carat marvel—about the size of a walnut or a small egg—sold in six minutes flat in 2013. Coaxed from a rough stone found in South Africa that weighed 299 carats, it was carefully chiseled by master diamond cutters and polishers over a period of several months. In its finished form, the oval-shaped D flawless stone went on to receive a “Type IIa” classification, which denotes the most chemically pure category of diamond (essentially, these anomalies are bright white, endlessly clear and incredibly rare). At the time, the accompanying Gemological Institute of America (GIA) report indicated that the Magnificent Oval was the largest diamond of this shape and caliber it had graded to date.
2. The Winston Legacy: $26.7 million
When Christie’s Geneva presented a 101.73 ct. D flawless diamond as part of its 2013 Magnificent Jewels sale, its hammer price set a new world record for a colorless diamond sold at auction. The buyer was none other than Harry Winston and the purchase of this stone was one of the famed New York jeweler’s first moves under Swatch, which had assumed ownership of the brand’s retail division just a few months earlier that same year. Renamed the Winston Legacy diamond on acquisition, the pear-shaped stone was another Type IIa beauty that Rahul Kadakia, head of jewlery for Christie’s Switzerland and the Americas at the time, described as “the most perfect diamond ever offered for sale at auction.”
3. The Rock: $21.9 million
At 228.31 carats, this pear-shaped diamond made auction history in 2022. Dubbed the “Rock,” it had the distinction of being the largest white diamond ever to be sold at auction (and still does). The undeniable “leading lady” of that year’s Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva, the stone was graded by the GIA as G-color, VS1 clarity and embarked on a world tour with stops in Dubai, Taipei, and New York before going on the block. The buyer’s identity and location are unknown but if they’re ever out and about with a diamond of that magnitude in tow, the presence of an imposing security detail might be your first clue.
“Art of de Grisogono, Creation 1." Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
4. The Art of De Grisogono, Creation I: $33.7 million
The current record-holder for the most expensive white diamond ever to be sold at auction is actually the centerpiece of an extravagant emerald-and-diamond necklace. Leading Christie’s Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale in 2017, the 41-carat, emerald cut, D flawless diamond required 10 cutting experts and took nearly a year to analyze, laser cut and polish the jewel. The sale was celebrated in the press but also came with some unfortunate baggage and controversy.
Sotheby’s New York Ultimate Emerald Cut Diamond. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
5. Sotheby’s New York Ultimate Emerald Cut Diamond: $22 million
At 100.2 carats, this stone is smaller than many of its fellow diamond headline makers but unique in that it is an emerald cut (rectangular shaped with long linear facets). Sold in 2015, the D color glamazon is considered exceptional on many levels, but especially because of its clarity: Internally flawless emerald cuts are indeed a freak of nature (in the best possible way). At the time of its sale, this diamond was touted as being the largest of its cut and clarity to ever be shown at auction.
The Chloe Diamond. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
6. The Chloe Diamond: $16.2 million
In 2007, Georges Marciano, founder of Guess? Jeans, acquired this 84.37, D flawless round brilliant cut diamond for a $191,980 per carat at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva. David Bennett, chairman of jewelry for Sotheby’s Europe & the Middle East at the time, said that the stone ranked “among the most beautiful diamonds I have ever seen” and described the resulting hammer price as one of the highlights of his career. On acquisition, Marciano named his prize the Chloe Diamond after his 12 year old daughter.
7. La Légende: $14.9 million
There’s a lot to love about this D Flawless heart-shape diamond, starting with its size: At 92 carats, it is the largest heart-shape diamond to have been sold at auction, with bragging rights going to Christie’s Geneva who presented the jewel in its 2017 Magnificent Jewels sale. Fittingly titled La Légende, this romantic rarity was created by Parisian high jewelry house Boehmer et Bassenge which later transformed the heart-shaped stone into a pendant suspended from a sautoir of cultured pearls. Supremely elegant, history-making and ready to wear from the jump? C’est magnifique!
Cover: “Art of de Grisogono, Creation 1."
Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
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