There are jewellery items that are so fine, over-the-top, insanely pricey, and rare that nothing else will suffice for individuals who are used to extreme luxury and have the resources and means to appreciate the most delicate things in life. These are the most costly known pieces of jewellery. You may be a lover of high-end jewellery such as men’s and women’s Rolex watches, but these items are in a league of their own. These eight items, which vary from huge single diamonds to jadeite beads to a modest Chopard watch, are the most extravagant gems and designs ever made.
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Hope’s Diamond
This 45.5-carat diamond, valued at $250 million, possesses a deep blue hue, probably due to levels of boron. It is also one of the most renowned diamonds in the world; it is associated with a number of tales of misfortune, and some claim that the Hope Diamond glows red when isolated from all light sources. The tale of the Tavernier Blue diamond starts in the mines of southern India in 1666, when it was found, cut, and called after its purchaser, Jean-Paul Tavernier. In 1668, it was cut and sold to the royal house of King Henry XIV. A century later, it was stolen, recut, and christened the Hope Diamond after the gem-collecting London Hope family. It was eventually acquired by Harry Winston, who presented it to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, where it is still on display today.
Necklace with Incomparable Diamonds
This French necklace is the most costly in the world. This gold necklace has 203 carats of white diamonds. An egg-sized, internally perfect yellow diamond weights it down as an unrivalled pendant. The provenance of the diamond in the heart of L’Incomparable is uncommon, as is the case with many costly jewellery items with a very identifiable gem. According to legend, a little girl at a diamond mine in the African Congo discovered the stone in a mound of debris. The diamond alone weighs a massive 407 carats, but the 102 diamonds that surround it are equally stunning. It was most recently sold at auction in Singapore for a staggering $55 million.
The 201 Carat Chopard Watch
You may be a lover of high-end luxury watches, but you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen Chopard’s magnificent 201-carat watch that resembles a flower bed of diamonds. If you weren’t searching for the watch face, you wouldn’t realise that this exquisite bracelet is a timepiece. The Chopard watch, encrusted with 874 diamonds of all colours, is a dizzying vision of glittering colour and form. This wristwatch is an exquisite timepiece, but you are not purchasing it for its accuracy. The 201 Carat Watch, introduced in 2000, is the ultimate of luxury and is priced at $25 million. This attractive timepiece also has a clever feature: when the spring-loaded mechanism is depressed, the watch releases three yellow gems that spread like petals in the morning light.
The Pink Planet
If you like pink diamonds, you must see the Pink Star. The Pink Star is the queen of all pink diamonds and the record holder for the most expensive ring ever sold at auction. In 1999, the famed De Beers corporation originally found and extracted the diamond in South Africa. The magnificent stone was formerly 132.5 carats, but has now been reduced to 59.5 carats. In 2013, it was auctioned off by Sotheby’s. It was purchased for a stunning $83 million by bidders with deep pockets. The buyer subsequently defaulted, thus the ring was sold to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises of Hong Kong for the ring’s current worth of $72 million.
The Pin of the Peacock
The peacock is renowned for its ostentatious nature. A peacock’s jewel-toned feathers and exquisite fan-like spread are anything but inconspicuous. The same applies to the pin named after it. The Peacock Brooch is one of the most ostentatious brooches ever made and is worth $100 million. Graff, a London-based jewellery manufacturer, utilised 1,300 stones to create this exquisite brooch that mimics a peacock’s head when fully displayed. In the middle of the bird is a 20-carat dark-blue pear-shaped diamond, and the total weight of the brooch is 120.81 carats.
Color Orange
A brilliant yellow diamond, however the real colour is closer to a fiery orange, with a gorgeous pear shape, outstanding clarity, and extraordinary size, making it one of the most expensive per-carat diamonds in the world. Christie’s sold it for a staggering $35.5 million, well above the projected $21 million. Each carat of The Orange was valued at $2,400,000, making it the most costly diamond per carat.
Oppenheimer Blue
This 14.62-carat blue diamond bears the name of Philip Oppenheimer, who gifted it to his wife. You may be familiar with Oppenheimer’s subsequent political and scientific endeavours, but you may not be aware of his role in naming the world’s biggest blue diamond. The Oppenheimer Blue is an emerald-cut stone that shares its title as the world’s biggest fancy vivid-colored diamond with The Pink Star, as declared by the Gemological Institute of America. In contrast, The Pink Star is the world’s largest fancy vivid-pink diamond. It was most recently sold at Christie’s for a staggering $50,4 million.
Necklace of Hutton-Mdivani Jadeite
You wouldn’t expect a jadeite necklace to be valued $27.7 million, but once you see the Hutton-Mdivani Jadeite necklace, you immediately see why. The diameters of the jadeite beads range from 15.4 millimetres to 19.4 millimetres. In addition to being constructed of rubies and diamonds, the clasp of this magnificent former wedding gift is particularly exquisite.
Wrapping Up
There are costly gemstone and jewellery items, and then there are these eight exquisite pieces. Each component and diamond has a unique history that it carries from owner to owner, owing to its enigmatic beginnings. While these wonderful pieces of jewellery may be out of reach for the majority of people, you can still enjoy elegance and status by adding a Rolex watch or diamond Cartier studs to your collection.
