What is the biggest and most expensive diamant in the world ?

Biggest diamond in the world: the Cullinan

The largest diamond in the world is the Cullinan, a diamond of 3,106.75 carats (621.35 grams), discovered in South Africa in 1905, in the Thomas Cullinan mine. It had been transformed into 9 smaller diamonds, 7 of which had been installed on the British royal crown:

Cullinan I is a 530.2-carat pear-shaped diamond with 74 facets. It is set atop the British Imperial Sceptre, which is displayed in the Tower of London, along with the other British Crown Jewels; Cullinan II is a 317.4 carat diamond with 66 facets. It is set on the front of the Imperial Crown of Pageantry, which, like the British Imperial Scepter, is another British Crown Jewel; Cullinan III is also a 94.4 carat pear-shaped diamond. It is worn with Cullinan IV as a brooch; Cullinan IV has a square shape and weighs 63.6 carats. It is worn with Cullinan III as a brooch; Cullinan V is heart-shaped and weighs 18.8 carats; Cullinan VI is a marquise-shaped diamond weighing 11.5 carats; Cullinan VII is also marquise-shaped and weighs 8.8 carats; Cullinan VIII is an oval-shaped diamond weighing 6.8 carats; and Cullinan IX is pear-shaped and weighs 4.39 carats. It is set in a platinum ring.

Much more recently, in 2017, a 1,109-carat diamond was purchased by British jeweler Laurence Graff for $53,000,000, which equates to $47,777 per carat, yet a far cry from the highest price.

Blue Moon Diamond

The Blue Moon diamond is an exceptional diamond. It is a blue diamond of 12.03 carats, cut from a rough diamond of 29.62 carats. Like the Cullinan, the world's largest diamond, it was discovered in South Africa, in the Cullinan mine, from which the majority of the world's blue diamonds come. The rough diamond was purchased for $25,600,000 by Cora International, which was responsible for cutting it. The task was not an easy one, as the inclusions in the rough diamond had to be worked around. Blue diamonds are among the rarest and most coveted in the world.

The diamond, once cut, was sold in 2015 for $48,460,000, which corresponds to a price of $4,020,000 per carat, a record! It is therefore a rectangular diamond, measuring 1.55 cm by 1.34 cm.

During its sale, the Blue Moon obtained several records, including: the most expensive diamond, regardless of color, the most expensive jewel sold at auction, and finally, the diamond price per carat.

Pink Star, the diamond

The Pink Star diamond is also an exceptional diamond. It is a huge oval sparkling pink diamond of 59.60 carats (no less!). The diamond measures 2.69 cm by 2.06 cm and still weighs 11.92 grams. It was sold in 2017 at auction for a record $71,200,000, or about $1,195,000 per carat.

It is the largest diamond in its class that the GIA, the American gemological institute, has had to certify.

It was previously sold in 2013 for an even more mind-boggling $83,000,000, but the buyer ran out of money and thus defaulted.

The rough diamond, which was 132.5 carats, was discovered in 1999 in Africa by De Beers. It would have taken more than 2 years to cut, so much attention to detail was required to reveal this magnificent diamond.

At its sale, the Pink Star thus obtained two records that the Blue Moon held: that of the most expensive diamond, regardless of its color, and that of the most expensive jewel sold at auction.