Auction Record Holders
The eleven diamonds that have commanded the highest prices ever paid at public auction — ranked by documented sale price.
The CTF Pink Star — $71.2 Million
Mined by De Beers in South Africa in 1999, the rough weighed 132.5 carats. Steinmetz Diamonds spent 20 months cutting it into a 59.60-carat oval — the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink ever graded by the GIA. At Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2017, Chow Tai Fook acquired it for $71.2 million — the highest price ever paid for any jewel at auction.
The CTF Pink Star · 59.60 ct
The Williamson Pink Star — $57.7 Million
One of only two Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pinks over 10 carats to ever appear at auction. When it sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2022, the $57.7 million price translated to over $5.2 million per carat — obliterating the world record for highest price-per-carat ever paid for a gemstone.
The Williamson Pink Star · 11.15 ct
The Oppenheimer Blue — $57.5 Million
Named after Sir Philip Oppenheimer, whose family controlled the De Beers Diamond Syndicate for generations. Step-cut blue diamonds are exceptionally rare — the style hides nothing. After a 20-minute phone bidding battle at Christie's Geneva in 2016, it sold for $57.5 million.
The Oppenheimer Blue · 14.62 ct
The De Beers Blue — $57.5 Million
Discovered in 2021 at the legendary Cullinan mine. The largest internally flawless step-cut vivid blue diamond ever to appear at auction. As a Type IIb containing trace boron and virtually no nitrogen, it represents the molecular signature of the world's rarest blue diamonds. Sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2022.
The De Beers Blue · 15.10 ct
The Blue Moon of Josephine — $48.5 Million
Cut from a 29.62-carat rough found at the Cullinan mine in 2014. Under ultraviolet light it displays a highly unusual orange-red phosphorescence — a trait shared with the Hope Diamond. Purchased at Sotheby's Geneva in 2015 by Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau, who named it after his seven-year-old daughter.
The Blue Moon of Josephine · 12.03 ct
The Graff Pink — $46.2 Million
Originally a Fancy Pink, Laurence Graff controversially recut the stone — sacrificing weight to achieve Fancy Intense saturation and Internally Flawless clarity. The gamble paid off: the grade elevation and the Graff provenance dramatically increased its value beyond what a larger, lower-grade stone could command.
The Graff Pink
The Princie Diamond — $39.3 Million
A rare Golconda-origin pink diamond, the Princie was once part of the Nizam of Hyderabad's collection. Named in honor of the 14-year-old Prince of Baroda at a 1960 Sotheby's viewing, it resurfaced at Christie's New York in 2013, where it sold for $39.3 million — a record at the time for any Golconda diamond at auction.
The Princie Diamond · 34.65 ct
The Wittelsbach-Graff — $24.3M (Auction) / ~$80M (Private)
Originally 35.56 carats with 400 years of Bavarian royal provenance. After acquiring it at Christie's in 2008 for $24.3 million, Laurence Graff recut the stone to 31.06 carats, elevating its clarity to IF and its color to Fancy Deep Blue. The recutting was one of the most controversial decisions in diamond history — but Graff reportedly later sold the stone privately for approximately $80 million.
The Wittelsbach-Graff · 31.06 ct
"A fine blue diamond is not merely a gemstone. It is a geological event that required a billion years and a few atoms of boron."— Brian Gavin
The Archduke Joseph — $21.5 Million
The largest known flawless Golconda diamond, named after Archduke Joseph August of Austria. At 76.02 carats, it is a Type IIa — composed of chemically pure carbon with no measurable nitrogen. When it sold at Christie's Geneva in 2012, it set the world record for any colorless diamond at auction.
The Archduke Joseph · 76.02 ct
The Martian Pink — $17.4 Million
Named for the Viking missions to Mars during the era of its original sale in 1976, this 12.04-carat round brilliant is one of the largest Fancy Intense Pink rounds ever cut. When it returned to Christie's Hong Kong in 2012, it sold for $17.4 million — proving that size and shape rarity can compensate for lower saturation.
The Martian Pink · 12.04 ct
The Chloe Diamond — $16.2 Million
The largest round brilliant D-Flawless diamond to ever appear at auction. Mined in Angola and named after the daughter of Guess Jeans co-founder Georges Marciano. Its sale at Sotheby's Geneva in 2015 proved that even without fancy color, a truly exceptional colorless diamond — with perfect proportions and a rare round shape at this size — commands extraordinary prices.
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