The magnificent
The Cullinan Diamond: $400 million upward
The Cullinan diamond also known as the Star of Africa was discovered in 1905. It initially weighed 3,106.75 carats making it the largest rough diamond ever found.
In 1997, the diamond was presented to the King of Thailand after it took specialists a few years to cut and polish. Today, the largest finished diamond is owned by the Royal Family of Thailand.
The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross, 1661
It was transformed in 1910 for George V by the addition of the spectacular Cullinan I diamond. At 530.2 carats, it is the largest colourless cut diamond in the world. The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905, in modern-day South Africa.
The Cullinan
The worth of the stone would be an estimated USD 400 million in the current market. There are nine large pieces of the diamond, totalling approximately 1,055 carats, besides other smaller cuts.
Generous gifts to the monarchy, today all nine of the Cullinans adorn the crown jewels that are worn by Queen Elizabeth and the Royal family. The largest cut diamond in the world, the 530.2 carat, pear-shaped Cullinan I (or Star of Africa) is set as the main stone in the majestic Sceptre with the Cross.
The Type IIa diamonds comprise only 1% of all the diamonds in the world. They are also sometimes called “Golconda Diamonds” named after the famous Golconda mine in India, which has historically produced many iconic Type IIa diamonds. They have no nitrogen impurities, as a result of which most of them are colorless.
The largest, called Cullinan I or the “Great Star of Africa,” was mounted to the Sovereign's Scepter with Cross and was first used at the coronation of Charles's great-grandfather, King George V, in 1911. At 530.2 carats, it remains the largest cut diamond in the world.
They stay safeguarded at the Tower of London in safekeeping for the nation, and when one monarch dies, the crown jewels are immediately passed to their heir.” So the Queen's former crown, sceptre and orb now belong to her son, King Charles III.
The most valuable diamond in the world is Koh-i-Noor, also spelled Koh-i-Nur and Kohinoor. The diamond is also called the Mountain of Light diamond, and it's known as one of the largest cut diamonds, weighing a whopping 105.6 carats. Koh-i-Noor is a colorless diamond and features an oval brilliant cut.
The Hope Diamond was not on the Titanic when it sank; it was owned by Washington socialite, Mrs Evelyn McLean, who didn't even set sail on the infamous ship. When she died in 1947, it was sold to pay off her debts. The precious stone has its own narrative that is worthy of a film in itself.
#1 - The Hope Diamond
Probably the most well-known of all gems, the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond has a past as colourful as the stone itself. The stone's story as we know it begins in 1642, when a French merchant purchased it and then resold it a few years later to King Louis XIV of France.
Typically, a $10,000 budget can allow you to buy a diamond between 0.75 carats and 2 carats. If you opt for a 0.75-carat stone, it measures about 5.7 mm.
The magnificent Cullinan Diamond – the largest diamond ever found- is incorporated into the Crown Jewels. The stone was discovered near Pretoria in modern -day South Africa in 1905, and is named after the chairman of the mining company, Thomas Cullinan.
Red Diamonds
Still, their rarity and their intense, crimson color make them the most expensive per carat of all the colored diamonds, and on average will cost over $1 million per carat. The largest red diamond ever sold, weighing 5.11 carats, was bought for $8 million, at $1.6 million per carat.
The Queen owned an iconic collection of precious jewels, some of which will remain on public display in the Tower of London, while others will be passed down through the Windsor family as beloved heirlooms. However, the Queen was buried with a small handful of her most treasured and personal jewellery.
How much did Kate Middleton inherit from Queen Elizabeth II? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that was Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen after her death. The collection includes 300 personal pieces of jewelry that belonged just to the Queen and not the Crown.
Who will inherit the Queen's jewels? It is likely that these jewels will be passed down to members of the Windsor family and if the Queen follows tradition, she will leave the majority of them to the next monarch, which in this case is King Charles III.
The most valuable royal piece is known as the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace. It was a wedding gift to the queen (then Princess Elizabeth) from the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1947, according to Regal Fille.
It was made for the coronation of Elizabeth's father, King George VI, in 1937, replacing the crown made for Queen Victoria in 1838. Today, jewelry experts estimate the crown is worth a stunning $3.4 to $5.7 billion.
The Great Star of Africa, or Cullinan I, is a 530-carat fine-quality colourless diamond, the largest cut of its kind in the world. It is mounted in the Royal Sceptre and worth an estimated $400 million.
Known by awed gemologists simply as “the Blue,” the world's biggest blue diamond first vanished in a jewel heist during the turmoil of revolutionary Paris in 1792. Since then, it has resurfaced and disappeared several times around Europe and across the Atlantic.
Although most black diamonds on the market today are either superheated or irradiated to an almost black color, natural black diamonds do exist, though they are extremely rare. Carbonados, sometimes called "black diamonds," are a distinct and unusual polycrystalline diamond material.
Gem-quality rubies are significantly rarer than diamonds, though there are certain types of diamonds that are very rare too. If we weigh the most spectacular examples of rubies and diamonds against one another, diamonds that show color are even rarer.