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The Hope Diamond is a large, 45.52-carat (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

World's 60 Biggest and Famous Legendary Diamonds

Diamond News, Reviews & Resources (50+) Top 60 Biggest Famous Diamonds

"Big girls need big diamonds." - Elizabeth Taylor.

"I have always felt a gift diamond shines so much better than one you buy for yourself." - Mae West.

In mineralogy, DIAMOND is a metastable allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at standard conditions. Diamond is renowned as a material with superlative physical qualities, most of which originate from the strong covalent bonding between its atoms. In particular, diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material. Those properties determine the major industrial application of diamond in cutting and polishing tools and the scientific applications in diamond knives and diamond anvil cells.

Most natural diamonds are formed at high temperature and pressure at depths of 140 to 190 kilometers (87 to 118 mi) in the Earth's mantle. Carbon-containing minerals provide the carbon source, and the growth occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years (25% to 75% of the age of the Earth). Diamonds are brought close to the Earth's surface through deep volcanic eruptions by a magma, which cools into igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites. Diamonds can also be produced synthetically in a high-pressure high-temperature process which approximately simulates the conditions in the Earth's mantle. An alternative, and completely different growth technique is chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Several non-diamond materials, which include cubic zirconia and silicon carbide and are often called diamond simulants, resemble diamond in appearance and many properties. Special gemological techniques have been developed to distinguish natural and synthetic diamonds and diamond simulants.

Diamonds are thought to have been first recognized and mined in India, where significant alluvial deposits of the stone could be found many centuries ago along the rivers Penner, Krishna and Godavari. Diamonds have been known in India for at least 3,000 years but most likely 6,000 years.

Mined rough diamonds are converted into gems through a multi-step process called "cutting". Diamonds are extremely hard, but also brittle and can be split up by a single blow. Therefore, diamond cutting is traditionally considered as a delicate procedure requiring skills, scientific knowledge, tools and experience. Its final goal is to produce a faceted jewel where the specific angles between the facets would optimize the diamond luster, that is dispersion of white light, whereas the number and area of facets would determine the weight of the final product. The weight reduction upon cutting is significant and can be of the order of 50%. Several possible shapes are considered, but the final decision is often determined not only by scientific, but also practical considerations. For example the diamond might be intended for display or for wear, in a ring or a necklace, singled or surrounded by other gems of certain color and shape.

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    Diamond News, Reviews & Resources
  • 29.6-carat blue diamond found - BBC News.
  • Sotheby's Lot 357 (April 21, 2015, New York): The Ultimate Emerald-Cut Diamond, 100.20 carats, D color, Internally Flawless, IIa.
  • 100-carat 'perfect' diamond sells for $22 million - CNN.com.
  • A Heritage of Bloom.
  • A Heritage of Bloom - called the world’s most expensive diamond necklace, at an estimated cost of US$200 million. Its 11,551 diamonds, with jade pieces to create the butterflies and bats, total 383 carats; the centerpiece diamond alone weighs 104 carats.
  • Annenberg Diamond.
  • Annenberg Diamond - square, 32.01-carat emerald-cut diamond that billionaire philanthropist Leonore Annenberg bought for her 90th birthday sold for US$7.7 million at auction on October 22, 2009.
  • Argyle Pink Diamonds.
  • ARGYLE PINK DIAMONDS - "Each year the prestigious Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender showcases a number of masterpiece stones that have been named in keeping with a sense of their place in history, and of desirability for the very beautiful and rare.
  • BACKES AND STRAUSS - "Masters of Diamonds since 1789." The oldest diamond company in the world.
  • Blue Moon of Josephine Diamond - 12.03-carat Fancy Vivid Internally Flawless Blue diamond.
  • Blue Moon of Josephine Diamond - "The 12.03-carat Fancy Vivid Internally Flawles Blue Moon of Josephine Diamond sold for 48.634.000 CHF / US$48.468.158 million at Sotherby's in Geneva on November 11, 2015. The gem also set a world record for any jewel at more than US$4 million per carat.
  • Cartier Classic Diamond Bracelet - Lignes Essentielles bracelet, 18K white gold, set with 47 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 6.38 carats.
  • Cartier Classic Diamond Bracelets - 18K white gold, set with 47 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 6.38 carats.
  • CECIL RHODES & DIAMONDS - Wikipedia.
  • CONFLICT DIAMONDS - aka 'blood diamonds'.
  • Cullinan Diamond - largest gem-quality diamond ever found, at 3106.75 carat (621.35 g, 1.37 lb) rough weight.
  • DE BEERS JEWELLERY - "Because a diamond is forever."
  • DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH - launched in 2003 as a unique fashion statement to showcase the beauty of rough diamonds to individual clients.
  • DIAMOND'S HISTORY & GEMOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS - Wikipedia.
  • Empress EugÉnie - oval-shaped brilliant diamond, perfectly cut, and weighing 51 carats. It is named for the French empress Eugénie de Montijo, who owned it in the late 19th century. It is currently in the hands of a private collector.
  • FAMOUS DIAMONDS - De Beers: "The World of Famous Diamonds."
  • Farnese Blue Diamond: Fancy Dark Grey-Blue, Natural Colour, SI1 Clarity.
  • Farnese Blue Diamond - "Three Centuries of History." Historic and highly important fancy dark grey-blue diamond jewel. Set with a pear-shaped fancy dark grey-blue diamond weighing 6.16 carats, within a frame of pinched-collet set cushion-shaped diamonds. Fancy Dark Grey-Blue, Natural Colour, SI1 Clarity.
  • GEM DIAMONDS - mined on September 22, 2008 a 478-carat flawless diamond!
  • Golda Jewelry - established in 1981. Diamonds from New York Diamond District with GIA and EGL certifications in every conceivable shape, size and color.
  • GRAFF DIAMONDS - "The Most Fabulous Jewels in the World."
  • Graff Venus type IIa, 118.78ct diamond.
  • Graff Venus - "Making Diamond History." The largest D Flawless heart shaped diamond in the world.
  • Harry Legacy flawless 101.73 carats diamond.
  • HARRY LEGACY - the world's largest pear-shaped, D color, type IIA, flawless diamond: 101.73 carats. Sold at Christie's Geneva on May 15, 2013 for US$26,737,913 (US$254,400 per carat) to American New York 5th Avenue Jewelers Harry Winston (since January 2013 owned by Swatch Group), setting a new world record at auction for a colorless diamond.
  • HOUSE OF MOUAWAD
  • John Hatleberg - conceptual gem artist recognized for the diversity of his work with jewels. He is the world authority on creating exact replicas of famous diamonds.
  • JOHN REINHOLD - "Diamonds in the Rough."
  • Kieselstein-Cord - diamond jewelry collections.
  • Koh-i-Noor diamond.
  • Koh-i-Noor - large, colourless diamond that was found near the modern city of Hyderabad, India, possibly in the 13th century. It weighed 793 carats (158.6 g) uncut and was first owned by the Kakatiya dynasty. The stone changed hands several times between various feuding factions in South Asia over the next few hundred years, before ending up in the possession of Queen Victoria after the British conquest of the Punjab in 1849.
  • Krupp Diamond | Elizabeth Taylor Diamond.
  • Krupp Diamond | Elizabeth Taylor Diamond - 33.19-carat (6.638 g) stone, sold at Christie's on 16 December 2011, for US$8,818,500, by the estate of Dame Elizabeth Taylor. Welsh actor Richard Burton gave the stone to the British-American actress in 1968 after acquiring it at auction for US$305,000, during the fourth year of their first marriage.
  • Leviev - 'Home to the World's Most Extraordinary Diamonds'. 31 Old Bond Street, London W1S 4QH, England, U.K. Since 2006.
  • LEVIEV - "Home to the World's Most Extraordinary Diamonds." Flagship boutique on London's Old Bond Street, U.K. since 2006.
  • Lucara Diamond: 1,111 Carat type IIa Karowe Diamond.
  • LUCARA MAKES DIAMOND HISTORY RECOVERS 1,111 CARAT DIAMOND - Lucara Diamond: November 18, 2015.
  • LUGANO DIAMONDS - established in 2005. Newport Beach, CA, U.S.A. "Dedicated to becoming a client's jeweler for life."
  • Napoleon Diamond Necklace at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 700 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, U.S.A.
  • Napoleon Diamond Necklace - diamond necklace commissioned by Napoleon I of France c. 1811–1812. Designed by Etienne Nitôt and Sons of Paris and consists of 234 diamonds. It is currently on display in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., United States.
  • NICKY OPPENHEIMER - today's uncrowned 'King of Diamonds'.
  • Nirav Modi Classic Embrace Bangle.
  • Nirav Modi - "Haut Diamantaire." Luxury diamond jewellery with over a century of diamantaire legacy. Discover the finest diamond jewels for everyday wear and special ...
  • Oppenheimer Blue Diamond.
  • Oppenheimer Blue Diamond - the largest Vivid Blue diamond ever to appear at auction is the latest in a line of historic blue diamonds that have been auctioned at Christie’s on May 18, 2016 selling for history-making CHF56,837,000 / US$58,246,847 earning 'World's Most Expensive' title for a record-setting amount for any jewel sold at auction.
  • Orlov Diamond - 189.62 metric carats and it measures 47.6 mm in height, 31.75 mm in width, and 34.92 mm in length.
  • PETRA DIAMONDS - owner of the Cullinan diamond mine.
  • PETRA DIAMONDS' LATEST FIND: 507.55 carat diamond - rough white diamond recovered at the Cullinan mine on 24 September 2009.
  • Pink Star.
  • Pink Star - A True Masterpiece of Nature - "The largest Internally Flawless, Fancy Vivid Pink diamond that the GIA has ever graded, this 59.60 carat diamond is a true masterpiece of nature." Sold for 553,037,500 HKD (US$71.2 million), including the buyer's premium, or auction house charge at Sotheby's in Hong Kong on April 4, 2017.
  • Princie diamond - approximately 34.65 carat cushion-cut fancy intense pink diamond discovered 300 years ago in the Golconda mines. Christie's (who auctioned it on Tuesday 16/04/2013, when it fetched a price of 39.3 million dollars) say that the Princie Diamond is believed to be the third largest pink diamond in the world after the Darya-ye Noor (ca. 175 to 195 carats) and the Noor-ol-Ain (ca. 60 carats) which are both part of the Iranian Crown Jewels but which were both cut, according to experts, from one single ca. 242 carat pink diamond.
  • Queen Sophie's Diamond Tiara.
  • Queen Sophie's Diamond Tiara - The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor.
  • RAIMAN ROCKS - large carat diamonds Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
  • SAFDICO | SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMOND CORPORATION - one of the world's leading diamond manufacturing and trading companies.
  • SAFDICO'S MOST NOTABLE DIAMONDS
  • The Sancy, a pale yellow diamond of 55.23 carats (11.046 g).
  • Sancy - pale yellow diamond of 55.23 carats (11.046 g), was once reputed to have belonged to the Mughals of antiquity, but is more likely of Indian origin owing to its cut, which is unusual by Western standards. The Sancy's known history began circa 1570. The prominent Astor family possessed it for 72 years until the 4th Viscount Astor sold it to the Louvre for $1 million in 1978.
  • Sotheby's Diamonds: world's largest, rarest & most valuable' D-Flawless round diamond.
  • Sotheby's Diamonds - "100 Carats Flawless Perfection." Unveiling a stone of exception – an extraordinarily rare 102.34 carat white diamond. The stone is the only known round brilliant-cut diamond over 100 carats perfect according to every critical criterion: in addition to the high number of carats, the stone is also perfect in colour, clarity and cut ever graded by the G.I.A.
  • SOTHEBY'S GENEVA - world's largest flawless blue 7.03 diamond sold for US$9,488,754 on May 12th, 2009.
  • STARDUST DIAMONDS
  • SUN-DROP DIAMOND - the world's largest known yellow diamond (110.3 ct.) has been sold at auction for CHF10 mio./US$10,915 mio. at Sotheby's Geneva on November 15, 2011.
  • TAYLOR-BURTON DIAMOND - 68 carats.
  • THE CENTENARY - 273.15 carats.
  • THE CULLINAN - aka the Star of Africa. 530.20 carats.
  • THE GRAFF PINK - 24.78 carats, Fancy Intense Pink, Natural Colour, VVS2 Clarity. World's most expensive gem: CHF45,442,500 / US$46,158,674. Bought at Sotheby's Geneva on November 16, 2010 by London jeweller Laurence Graff.
  • The Hope Diamond at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 700 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20560, U.S.A.
  • THE HOPE DIAMOND - 45.52 carats. On display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
  • THE MILLENNIUM STAR - 203.04 carats.
  • The Pink Star (weighing 59.60 carats) - The most valuable diamond to ever be offered at auction sold for US$83.2 million at Sotheby's in Geneva on November 13, 2013.
  • The Pink Star - weighing 59.60 carats, this oval-cut diamond is the largest flawless or internally flawless, fancy vivid pink diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has ever graded. The most valuable diamond to ever be offered at auction sold for US$83.2 million at Sotheby's in Geneva on November 13, 2013.
  • The Premier Blue - 7.59 carat round brilliant-cut internally flawless (IF) fancy vivid blue diamond.
  • The Premier Blue - 7.59 carat round brilliant-cut internally flawless (IF) fancy vivid blue diamond.
  • THE SPIRIT OF DE GRISOGONO DIAMOND - world's largest cut black diamond and the world's fifth largest diamond overall.
  • THE WORLD OF FAMOUS DIAMONDS
  • Tiffany Yellow Diamond - 128.54 carats (25.108 g).
  • Tiffany Yellow Diamond -one of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered; its carat weight is 287.42 carats (57.484 g) in the rough when discovered in 1878 in the Kimberley mine in South Africa, and was cut into a cushion shape of 128.54 carats (25.108 g) with 82 facets - 24 more than a traditional round brilliant—to maximize its brilliance.
  • WITTELSBACH-GRAFF DIAMOND - 31.06 carats.
  • Largest Diamond (118.28-carat D-Flawless) Ever Sold At Auction Fetches US$30.6 Million.
  • WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A WHITE DIAMOND - 118.28-carat D-Flawless diamond sold for of HK$238.68 million / US$30.06 million on October 7, 2015 at Sotheby's Hong Kong.
  • WORLD'S 10 MOST FAMOUS DIAMONDS
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