5 Famous Colored Diamonds and Their Fascinating Stories

1. Hope Diamond

At 45.52 carats, the Hope Diamond is a smokey, velvety-blue cushion-cut stone on permanent view at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. Mounted in a diamond necklace, it is housed in a 360-degree glass case in its own dimly-lit chamber. There, patrons of all ages come in droves to catch a glimpse of it, their collective murmurs of appreciation creating something of a din.

Donated to the Smithsonian by famed New York City diamantaire Harry Winston in 1958, the Hope Diamond had previously careened its way through history—and multiple hands—starting in the 17th century when the French monarchy acquired it from its original home in India.

There are periods of time when the whereabouts of the stone (likely stolen, passed through anonymous channels or languishing in a vault) are unknown but Philip Hope (1774-1839) a wealthy British banker, is the owner for which the stone was eventually named. Pierre Cartier, who was overseeing the French jeweler’s operations in New York, came into possession of the stone in 1910. Cartier popularized the story that the Hope Diamond was cursed, as quite a few of its previous owners were plagued by financial hardships and untimely deaths. He was able to sell it to American heiress Evalyn Walsh McLean in 1912; she, too, was subsequently met with multiple tragedies, and the Hope Diamond landed in the capable hands of Winston soon after her death in 1947. A final detail accompanies the Hope Diamond whenever it is discussed: Winston shipped it to the Smithsonian with little fanfare via USPS (but insured it for $1 million dollars). The cost of the postage was $2.44.

2. Golden Jubilee Diamond

What is the largest diamond in the world? The Golden Jubilee is the reigning champion by far. Harvested from the Premier mine in South Africa in 1986, the rough stone was massive—755.5 carats, to be exact. And, despite its name, this enormous gem started out as a brown diamond. Given its size, transforming it into a faceted jewel would require the skills of an expert. Enter Gabi Tolkowsky, the great nephew of Marcel Tolkowsky, a master cutting technician who is crediting for inventing the modern round brilliant cut in 1919. It took the younger Tolkowsky two years to land on, and execute, the right proportion and alignment of facets but the final, meticulously chiseled specimen is now a 545.67 ct. cushion-cut wonder with a magical glow. And its perfectly symmetrical 55 crown facets, 64 pavilion facets and 24 girdle facets effectively caused the stone to display a different color, one that was rich and golden, more amber than brown.

King Bhumibo of Thailand received the Golden Jubilee as a gift from a group of Thai businessmen on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his coronation in 1996. (Fearing the optics of such an extravagant gift, the public was told that the diamond was a topaz.) Today, the Golden Jubilee is now part of the Thai Crown Jewels collection where it can be viewed in the Royal Museum at Pimammek Golden Temple, Throne Hall in Bangkok.

3. Tiffany Diamond

One of the design house’s most enduring icons (and publicity vehicles), the Tiffany Diamond is pure sunshine: Acquired by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1878, the magnificent fancy yellow diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1877 (the rough weighed 287.42 carats) and the cutting and polishing took place in France (an undertaking overseen by renown Tiffany gemologist George Frederick Kunz). In its current form, the 128.54 ct. cushion-cut gem has appeared in a few different jewels, starting with Jean Schlumberger’s Ribbon Rosette necklace worn by Audrey Hepburn in publicity photographs for the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s around 1961. Since then, only Lady Gaga (at the 2019 Oscars) and Beyoncé (in a 2021 promotional campaign) have worn the jewel. In 2023, the Tiffany diamond reappeared in a version of the Tiffany Bird on a Rock brooch (another celebrated Schlumberger design) to commemorate the re-opening of the New York flagship (now known as the Landmark) where it now resides for all to admire.

4. Pink Star Diamond

A newcomer to the world’s colored diamond hall of fame is Pink Star, a 59.6 ct. “freak of nature”  as Tom Moses, executive vice president of the GIA, stated in a 2022 interview with the Natural Diamond Council. It is technically classified as a fancy vivid pink internally flawless diamond—“fancy vivid” is considered the most precious and desirable colored diamond descriptor by GIA standards. But the oval mixed-cut gem is distinguished—and worthy of applause—for two additional reasons. One is its uncommon beauty: It has no inclusions so in addition to being the perfect shade of cherry blossom pink, it is also endlessly clear and bright. The other is that it currently has the distinction of being the most expensive diamond ever to be sold at auction. When Sothebys offered it for sale in 2017, there was a vigorous bidding war before Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook was named the winner (the Pink Star is now known as the CTF Pink). The world record-setting price? A cool $71.2 million.

5. The Sancy

The story of this pale yellow peach pit-shaped diamond is like a centuries-long ping-pong game, with the 55.2 ct. gem jumping from one European monarchy to the next. It currently enjoys a quiet life in the Louvre Museum in Paris, but prior to that, its existence was tied to the financial and political escapades of a colorful cast of royals and aristocrats. There are times when the Sancy diamond was in hiding or otherwise keeping a low profile (during the French Revolution, for example, when it was stolen along with some other French Crown Jewels) but its provenance comprises a long list of confirmed owners. These include Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy; King Manuel I of Portugal; Queen Elizabeth I of England; Nicolas de Harlay, Seigneur de Sancy, a noted French diplomat and gem collector, for whom the diamond is named; Kings James I and Charles I of England; King Louis XIV of France; the Demidoff royal family of Russia; Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, an Indian merchant; and Viscount William Astor of England. The Sancy diamond stayed in the Astor family for 70 years before they sold it to the Louvre in 1978 for $1 million.