Most Expensive Diamond Rings by Auction and Private Sale
The Pink Star, a 59.60 carat internally flawless vivid pink diamond, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2017 for $71.2 million, making it the most expensive gemstone ever sold at auction according to the auction house record and industry reports Forbes. The Oppenheimer Blue, a 14.62 carat vivid blue diamond, set a previous per-carat record when it sold at Christie's Geneva in 2016 for $57.5 million, with the buyer confirmed through public auction results Christie's.
The Winston Blue, a 13.22 carat flawless blue diamond, was purchased by Harry Winston at Christie's Geneva in 2014 for $23.8 million, and the Graff Pink, a 24.78 carat fancy intense pink diamond, sold at Sotheby's Geneva in 2010 for $46 million, both recorded in auction house archives and subsequent company disclosures Graff. These sales establish the upper price benchmarks for large, high-color, high-clarity fancy colored diamonds in the global market.
Most Expensive Engagement and Celebrity Rings
Elizabeth Taylor's Krupp Diamond, a 33.19 carat Asscher-cut diamond, was given to her by Richard Burton in 1968 and later sold at Christie's in 2011 for $8.8 million, with proceeds benefiting the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation Christie's. The Lesotho Promise, a 603 carat colorless diamond rough, was cut into multiple stones, and the largest polished gem, a 224 carat emerald-cut diamond, was set into a ring and sold through the Letseng mine partnership with a reported value exceeding $12 million based on public mining company disclosures.
The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond, a 31.06 carat deep blue diamond, was recut and set into a ring by Laurence Graff after its 2008 purchase for $24.3 million, and the Blue Heart Diamond, a 30.82 carat heart-shaped blue diamond, remains part of the collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, with its insurance and valuation frequently cited in museum and gemological reports Smithsonian.
Most Expensive Colored Gemstone and Luxury Brand Rings
The Sunrise Ruby, a 25.59 carat pigeon blood ruby from Myanmar, sold at Sotheby's Geneva in 2015 for $30.42 million, setting a per-carat record for rubies at the time Sotheby's. The De Beers Millennium Star, a 203.04 carat colorless diamond, was displayed in a ring setting during its public exhibition and was valued at over $200 million at the time of its creation by De Beers in 19