15 most expensive jewelry items of all time

Jewelry has always played an important role in human society since immemorial. It is no surprise that some of the most expensive jewelry items in the world carry a lot of historical significance. The jewelry on this list is not only beautiful to look at but also costs a fortune.

15) Heart Of The Kingdom Ruby Necklace - $14 Million

Starting with the "cheapest" jewelry item on this list, the Heart Of The Kingdom Ruby Necklace. This jewelry item belongs to one of the oldest jewelry houses in the world, the House of Garrard. The Heart Of The Kingdom Ruby Necklace consists of a huge Burmese ruby that weighs 40.63 carats. It is attached to a chain that features a string of diamonds weighing about 155 carats.

14) The Bvlgari Blue - $15.7 Million

The Bvlgari Blue is a tangible symbol of love. It is believed to have been designed as a gift in the 1970s for a collector's wife. The Bvlgari Blue diamond ring has two diamonds; a clear and blue diamond weighing 10.95 carats and 9.87 carats respectively. They are joined together by a gold band with rectangular diamonds. The Fancy Vivid blue diamonds are considered to be one of the most sought-after and rare colored diamonds.

13) The Graff Vivid Yellow - $16.3 Million

The Graff Vivid Yellow was made by the Graff jewelry house. It took them over nine months to complete this masterpiece. The Graff Vivid Yellow diamond weighs 100 carats and sits atop a yellow gold band. One can even wear the diamond as a pendant since it can be detached from the gold band.

12) Chopard Blue Diamond Ring - $16.26 Million

Blue diamonds are rare and extremely expensive. If budget is not an issue, you can buy your lover a Chopard Blue Diamond Ring as an engagement ring. The blue diamond is oval-shaped and is placed on top of an 18k white gold band that is clustered with more diamonds. The Blue Diamond weighs around 9 carats.

11) Estrela de Fura - $34.8 million

The Estrela de Fura is a cushion-cut Mozambiquan ruby that weighs 55.22 carats and is considered to be the largest gem-quality ruby. Additionally, the ruby is also one of the most expensive colored jewels sold in an auction. It is also known as the 'pigeon blood' red. Currently, the ruby is not mounted and will be remounted for the next purchaser.

10) The Orange - $35.5 million

The Orange came into the Christie's Geneva auction house on November 12, 2013. It is a pear-shaped diamond that can also be called a "fire diamond". The Orange weighs about 14.82 carats and is also the largest fancy vivid orange diamond in the world.

9) Queen Marie Antoinette’s Pearl Pendant - $36.2 million

Sotheby's auction house acquired this piece of history in November 2018. According to history, Queen Marie Antoinette's Pear Pendant is believed to be one of the items that were packed when the King and Queen tried to escape the palace in 1791. It broke the record as the most expensive natural pearl to be sold.

8) The Princie Diamond - 39.3 million

The Princie Diamond is a brilliant cushion-cut diamond in a sparkling pink shade. It was acquired by Christie's New York auction house on April 16, 2013. The diamond weighs 34.65 carats. According to Christie's, any interested buyers can contact the auction house 24 hours before it goes live.

7) The Blue Moon Diamond - $48.4 million

The Blue Moon Diamond was in Sotheby's Geneva possession in 2015. It is on the list of the most expensive blue diamonds in the world. The Blue Moon Diamond weighs 12.03 carats and was brought in from a Cullinan mine. It has been renamed as The Blue Moon of Josephine by a new buyer from Hong Kong.

6) The Pink Legacy - $50.7 million

On November 13, 2018, the Pink Legacy Diamond was sold at Christie’s in Geneva. This 18.96-carat diamond was bought by Harry Winston and was instantly renamed 'The Winston Pink Legacy'. The pink diamond came all the way from the mines of South Africa and was once owned by the famous Oppenheimer family. Not only is it one of the most expensive jewelry items, but is also one of the rarest in terms of grading.

5) Memory of Autumn Leaves & Dream of Autumn Leaves - $57.4 million

The Memory of Autumn Leaves & Dream of Autumn Leaves are a pair of blue and pink diamond earrings. Initially, the earrings were known as Apollo and Artemis. The diamonds were sold together as the most expensive earrings to be sold at an auction. The Exceptional fancy vivid blue diamond costs $42,087,302 and is 14.54 carats, while the intense pink diamond costs $15,338,176 and weighs 16 carats.

4) Oppenheimer Blue - $57.5 million

Known in the luxury jewelry world as the 'legendary' diamond. The Oppenheimer Blue weighs 14.62 carats and holds the record as one of the biggest Vivid Blue diamonds to come into an auction house. The diamond received its name from the previous owner and special connoisseur, Sir Philip Oppenheimer. The diamond has a unique rectangular cut that attracted Sir Philip Oppenheimer to it.

3) The Pink Star Diamond - $71.2 million

This diamond is deemed "One Of The World's Great Natural Treasures". It is a gorgeous oval mixed-cut diamond that is mounted on a platinum band. The diamond weighs 59.60 carats and was mined by De Beers in 1999 from South Africa. A fun fact about this diamond is that it took around 20 months to give it the dazzling cut that it has today.

2) Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond - $80 million

The story behind the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond reveals that sometimes bigger is not always better. The diamond was originally bought by Laurence Graff at $23.4 million when it weighed 35.56 carats. In his possession, he shaved off around 4 carats and improved the clarity and quality of the diamond. This improved version of the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond is now priced at $80 million.

1) The Hope Diamond (Estimated Value) - $250 million

The most expensive jewelry item on this list is the Hope Diamond. It is not sold but the price of the diamond is estimated to be around $250 million. A lot of history and myth surrounds the diamond. It is currently at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The diamond is believed to have been stolen from a Hindu goddess and a supposed curse follows anyone who possesses the diamond.