J.Law’s jewelry archive deserves a rewatch. Think rare vintage finds, 156 carats of Chopard, and the unforgettable Oscars necklace she wore backward.
CTF Pink Star Diamond
The 10 Most Expensive Diamonds Ever Sold at Auction
What makes a diamond worth $71 million? From rare pinks to brilliant blues, meet the über-rare stones that shattered auction records.
In all my years writing about and working with jewelry and gemstones, few things capture the imagination quite like watching one of the world’s most expensive diamonds cross the auction block. These are geological marvels, formed deep within the Earth over billions of years under conditions so extraordinary that nothing quite like them may ever surface again. Their beauty is undeniable, their rarity almost impossible to comprehend, and their value can reach staggering heights.
Add vivid color, exceptional clarity, and remarkable size to the equation, and the competition becomes fierce. Pink and blue diamonds dominate the record books, commanding tens of millions of dollars as collectors vie for some of the rarest treasures on Earth.
Here are the 10 most expensive diamonds ever sold at auction, from legendary pink and blue diamonds to once-in-a-generation natural treasures that shattered world records.
1. The CTF Pink Star Diamond — $71.2 Million
The undisputed king of them all. The CTF Pink Star is a 59.60-carat oval-shaped Fancy Vivid Pink diamond with internally flawless clarity. It continues to top every list of the most expensive diamonds thanks to its extraordinary combination of size, color, and rarity.
De Beers found the original 132.5-carat rough in 1999, and Diacore spent two years cutting and polishing it into the largest internally flawless Fancy Vivid Pink the GIA has ever graded. It sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2017 for a staggering $71.2 million to the Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook, which renamed it after the company’s late founder. Nothing has come close since.
2. The Williamson Pink Star Diamond —$57.7 Million
At roughly $5.2 million per carat, the Williamson Pink Star redefined the value of rarity. The 11.15-carat cushion-shaped Fancy Vivid Pink diamond with internally flawless clarity came from the Williamson mine in Tanzania, the same source that produced the pink diamond gifted to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947. Diacore cut it from a 32-carat rough. When it sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2022 for $57.7 million, it set a world record price per carat for any diamond or gemstone, nearly double the previous record. A private collector from Boca Raton, Florida, secured the winning bid.
3. The De Beers Blue Diamond —$57.5 Million
A diamond so extraordinary, it can actually conduct electricity. The 15.10-carat Fancy Vivid Blue step-cut diamond with internally flawless clarity, the De Beers Blue, is a Type IIb stone. This rare category owes its color to boron, the very element responsible for its unusual electrical properties. It came from the Cullinan mine in South Africa, the only mine on Earth with meaningful blue diamond production. It sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2022 for approximately $57.5 million, making it one of the most valuable blue diamonds ever to come to market.
4. The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond —$57.5 Million
Before the Pink Star shattered records, the Oppenheimer Blue held the crown. The Oppenheimer Blue is a 14.62-carat emerald-cut Fancy Vivid Blue diamond with VS1 clarity, named after Sir Philip Oppenheimer, whose family controlled De Beers for generations. When Christie’s Geneva sold it in May 2016 for $57.5 million, it was the largest Fancy Vivid Blue ever offered at auction and the most expensive jewel ever sold at the time. With its remarkable color and storied provenance, the Oppenheimer Blue has a pedigree few diamonds can rival.
5. The Winston Pink Legacy Diamond —$50.6 Million
Even among the world’s most expensive diamonds, the Winston Pink Legacy stands apart. This 18.96-carat rectangular-step-cut Fancy Vivid Pink diamond is remarkable for its size and saturation, a color intensity seen in almost no diamonds. The Oppenheimer family once owned it; it was found in South Africa around 1918 and has remained in its original cut since 1920.
When Christie’s Geneva sold it in November 2018 for $50.6 million, Harry Winston purchased it and renamed it the Winston Pink Legacy. The sale achieved approximately $2.7 million per carat, setting a new record for a pink diamond at the time.
6. The Blue Moon of Josephine Diamond — $48.5 Million
Some fathers buy their daughters jewelry. Billionaire Joseph Lau bought his daughter a $48.5 million diamond. The 12.03-carat cushion-shaped Fancy Vivid Blue diamond with internally flawless clarity was cut from a 29.6-carat rough discovered at the Cullinan mine in 2014.
It took six months to cut and polish. It sold at Sotheby’s Geneva in November 2015 for $48.5 million, securing its place among the most expensive diamonds ever sold at auction. Lau renamed it the Blue Moon of Josephine after his young daughter, just one day after purchasing another extraordinary diamond, a vivid pink stone he named Sweet Josephine.
7. The Graff Pink Diamond — $46.2 Million
The Graff Pink was already legendary when it shattered auction records. Then Laurence Graff made it even rarer. The Graff Pink was originally a 24.78-carat emerald-cut Fancy Intense Pink Type IIa diamond, once owned by legendary American jeweler Harry Winston. The chairman of Sotheby’s jewelry division called it one of the most desirable diamonds he had ever seen. When Sotheby’s Geneva sold it in November 2010 for $46.2 million, it set the record at the time for the highest price ever paid for a jewel at auction. Laurence Graff purchased it, slightly recut it to achieve internally flawless clarity, and renamed it the Graff Pink. It now weighs 23.88 carats.
8. The Bleu Royal Diamond — $44 Million
Hidden away in a private collection for decades, the Bleu Royal made a spectacular return to the spotlight—and became one of the world’s most expensive diamonds. The 17.61-carat pear-shaped Fancy Vivid Blue diamond with internally flawless clarity is the largest internally flawless Fancy Vivid Blue ever offered at auction.
Its color was so extraordinary from the start that cutters could use a classic brilliant faceting style, with no modifications needed to intensify its hue. After spending around 40 to 50 years in a single private collection, the Bleu Royal sold at Christie’s Geneva in November 2023 for nearly $44 million to an anonymous collector, becoming the most expensive jewel sold anywhere that year.
9. The Princie Diamond — $39.3 Million
Royal intrigue, centuries of history, and a pink diamond with a pedigree few could rival. The Princie is a 34.65-carat cushion-cut Fancy Intense Pink diamond with extraordinary Golconda provenance dating back more than three centuries. Discovered in India’s legendary Golconda mines, it once belonged to the royal family of Hyderabad.
Van Cleef & Arpels bought it at Sotheby’s in 1960 and named it the Princie after the young Prince of Baroda. It remains untouched since cutters transformed the rough over 300 years ago. When Christie’s New York sold it again in April 2013 for $39.3 million, it became the most expensive diamond the auction house had sold to date. The Qatari royal family is believed to hold it today.
10. The Orange Diamond — $35.5 Million
Pink and blue may dominate the world’s most expensive diamonds, but this fiery orange diamond proved there’s more than one way to make history. The Orange is a 14.82-carat pear-shaped Fancy Vivid Orange diamond with VS1 clarity. Pure orange diamonds, without modifying hues, are exceptionally rare, making this stone a standout among collectors who prize unusual colors. When Christie’s Geneva sold it in November 2013 for $35.5 million, it set a world record for an orange diamond and remains the largest Fancy Vivid Orange ever offered at auction.
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