25 Most Expensive Pieces Of Jewelry In The World

Posted by , Updated on January 2, 2024

While some people could care less how many karets they have on their finger, there are those that would literally kill to have the biggest “rock”. If you’ve ever seen Blood Diamond with Leonardo DiCaprio then you probably have an idea of how many lives can be tossed aside just to find one little piece of compressed charcoal. That being said, the diamond trade is still very alive and as long as people have a penchant for the ridiculously expensive it always will be. These are the 25 most expensive pieces of jewelry in the world.
25

Sapphire Ring of Princess Diana

Princess Diana sapphire ring

Princess Diana is an iconic figure. No wonder the royal jewelry that she wore which is now in the hands of Kate Middleton will be valued at a price of $38,488. This ring was given by Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer on their engagement. Aside from the actual price. This ring is historically significant.

24

Queen Marie of Romania’s Shell Shaped Brooch

Tiara and Pecten Shell Shaped Brooch

Once owned by Queen Marie of Romania this symbolic piece of brooch made out of Pecten shell was used as a crowned monogram for Princess Marie. It was crafted by C. Faberge and belongs to history of Russian Royalty.

23

Queen Marie Jose’s Emerald and Diamond Necklace

Emerald and Diamond Necklace

This interesting piece of jewelry was once owned by the last royalty of Italy, Queen Marie Jose. She was known for having an extensive collection of jewels including this diamond necklace. This necklace contains 50 emeralds and a lot of diamonds. It was created by Van Cleef and Arpels.

22

The Elephant Diamond

Art Deco Necklace With Diamonds

Containing emeralds, rock crystal and diamonds this piece was auctioned at Christie’s in London and was once used as an adornment for the Maharaja’s favorite elephant.

21

Unmounted Heart Shaped Diamond

diamond-heart

This piece of jewelry is a  heart shaped diamond weighing 56.15 carats. It was originally cut from the Cullinan Diamonds, which the Cullinan 1 is now a part of Britain’s Crown Jewel collection and was sold for a staggering  11 million dollars.  The diamond was part of the Magnificent Jewels collection which became available for purchase on May 2011. Christie’s (the seller)  marketed the diamond as “Love At First Sight,” and released it for public view on Valentine’s Day.

20

Empress Eugenie’s Bow Brooch

Antique Diamond Bow Brooch

This brooch was from Francois Kramer, circa 1855. It was originally designed as an old mine and old European-cut diamond openwork sculpted bow. Napoleon III had it made for his wife, Empress Eugenie. Henri Loyrette, the President of Louvre, arranged a private sale with Christie’s New York in order to bring this piece of historical jewelry back to its homeland of France on April 22, 2008.

19

Harry Winston’s Diamond Drop Earrings

Harry Winston Diamond Drop Earrings

These drop earrings aren’t just in demand because of the hefty price tag. They are highly valued because they were made for the use of A list Hollywood superstars. With 60 carats and 4 diamonds they also come with a crested platinum set which can only be seen if inspected closely.

18

Anonymous Diamond Necklace

diamond necklace

With a 8.19-carat heart shaped diamond centerpiece the owner of this highly valued necklace remains anonymous.

17

Queen Mary’s Diamond Riviere and La Peregrina Pearl

Queen Mary's Diamond Riviere and La Peregrina Pearl

It has an estimated price of $1,828,224. This was owned by England’s first female ruler Queen Mary. It is considered to be one of the world’s most exclusive jewels that include a Diamond Riviere. It was crafted from 34 old cut authentic diamonds set in gold and silver and given as a gift by the queen to her granddaughter Princess Margaret.

16

The Laurence Graff Ring

red diamond ring

English jeweler Laurence Graff bought this ring for $2.6 million during a Christie’s Auction. It became one of a kind due to the maroon central color of the diamond and even rarer due to the diamond’s octagonal shape.

15

The Bulgari Ring

rare blue diamond ring

Elegant and noteworthy this rare blue diamond ring is a Bulgari custom-designed ring from a European collector during the 1960s. The owner gave the ring to his wife at an estimated value of $2.9 million. It is considered to be one of the most expensive jewels in the world.

14

Sotheby’s Green Diamond

green diamond ring

It can be hard to believe how much this green diamond ring costs. It has a selling price of $3.08 million. It was first seen at Sotheby’s auction of magnificent jewels. It is the single largest diamond ring that has been sold in an auction and the green diamonds weighs around 2.52 carats.

13

Marie Antoinette’s Necklace

Marie Antoinette Necklace

Belonging to Marie Antoinette, the child of Empress Marie Theresa of Austria and Emperor Francis I, the estimated price is at $3.7 million.

12

Sotheby’s Golconda Diamond Ring

Pear-Shaped Golconda Diamond Ring

This jewel is one of the priciest to ever be sold at an auction. It has a pear-shaped Goldconda diamond ring and was presented at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Autumn sale of 2011. With a selling price of $6.5 million, it is without a doubt one of the most expensive rings in the world.

11

Golconda Diamond Earrings

Golconda Diamond Earrings

Coming from the Golconda mines of India, they have also been called the Imperial Cushions because of the cushion-shaped diamonds. Each earring is around 23.11 carats and they were first seen in May of 2011 at a Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Spring Sale in Hong Kong. They were bought by an anonymous bidder for $9.3 million.

10

The Cullinan Diamond

Flawless Blue Diamond Ring

During the auction of 2009 this one of a kind blue diamond ring proved to be a crowd favorite at Sotheby’s semi-annual sale in Geneva and was able to fetch a whopping price of $9.69 million.

9

The $10 Million Ring

Vivid Blue Diamond Ring

Containing a 6.01 carat cushion-shaped blue diamond as its centerpiece, this ring fetched $10 million dollars at auction by an anonymous bidder.

8

The Pink Graff Ring

Vivid Pink Diamond Ring

Going for $11.8 million this diamond came from the mines of South Africa. It comes with a 5-carat pink diamond and has been mounted with Graff diamonds to raise the price even more.

7

Wallis Simpson’s Panther Bracelet

Wallis Simpson’s Panther Bracelet

Owned by King Edward VIII at one point, this piece of jewelry was sold for $12 million and the buyer was rumored to be Madonna.

6

Emerald and Diamond Tiara

Emerald and Diamond Tiara

Commissioned by German Prince Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, he gave this tiara as a gift to his second wife Katherine in the year 1900. There are also rumors that this tiara belonged to the wife of Emperor Napoleon III of France. Regardless of passed ownership, however, it contains a row of 11 polished pear shaped emeralds at about 500 carats total and an anonymous bidder paid $12.76 million for it.

5

Bulgari Two-Stone Diamond Ring

bulgari two stone diamond ring

This easily becomes one of the most expensive rings in the world due to the two large diamonds it contains. Created in 1972 from the Bulgari collection, an Asian collector willingly bought the ring for $15.7 million after an intense bidding war.

4

Heart of the Ocean Diamond

Heart of the Ocean Diamond

Gloria Stuart wore one of the most expensive jewels ever at the 1998 Academy Awards. This Harry Winston Sapphire has an estimated price of $20 million and is an exact replica of the piece of jewelry from the Titanic. It is the most expensive piece of jewelry ever worn at the Oscars and replicas are being sold for $3.5 million in auction sales.

3

The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond

Blue Diamond

Sold for $24.3 million to Laurence Graff in 2008, it was rumored to be the diamond from the Indian Kingdom of Golkonda and that King Philip IV Spain bought it to include in the dowry of his teenage daughter, Margaret Teresa, in the year of 1664.

2

The $30 Million Diamond Bikini

Green Diamond

The record price for a single piece of jadeite jewelry was set at the November 1997 Christie’s Hong Kong sale: Lot 1843, the “Doubly Fortunate” necklace of 27 approximately .5 mm jadeite beads sold for US$9.3 million

1

The Graff Pink

24.78 Carat Fancy Intense Pink Diamond Ring

Said to be the most expensive piece of jewelry in the world, it was sold for a staggering price of $46 million in November 2010. Famously known as “The Graff Pink”, it is classified as a type II color diamond and has a perfect rating which gives it a price of about $1.85 million per carat.