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FavoriteBlings.com/Blogs
With Benefits...
A List of Some of the World's Most Stunning,
Most Valuable, Most Expensive Jewelry Ever...
This legendary bling is listed by
immensely expensive first:
-- From an accidental priceless treasure trove found in Afghanistan,
to Cleopatra's wildly expensive whimsy, to the Hope Diamond, to
Liz Taylor's magnificent jewelry collection, to Princess Di's
engagement ring, here's a list of some of the world's priciest, most
sought
after, most valuable jewelry ever made, over the centuries,
and across the
planet...
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Bactrian gold, a treasure found at Tillya Tepe, was found in six burial
mounds
at an archaeological site in northern Afghanistan, in an area where
nomads lived
around 2,000 ago. Excavated in 1978, the jewelry was extraordinarily
elaborate,
and considered one of the most exciting finds of the 20th century. Of
more than
20,000 items found, most jewelry was made of gold and semi-precious
stones of
all colors. There were also coins and other artifacts made of gold,
silver, ivory,
etc, all breathtaking items from China, India, and Greece. Placed on
display at
museums worldwide, these breathtaking ancient Bactrian treasures are
said
to be priceless.
●
The richest temple in the world is India's Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
with
its 6 incredible underground chambers. Immense treasures have been
found within
5 of its 6 vaults - 18-foot diamond necklaces, solid gold crowns
studded with
precious stones, thousands of pieces of jewelry, sacks of diamonds,
gold coins,
rubies, sapphires, emeralds, solid gold throne covered in diamonds,
solid gold
statues and idols, ceremonial garb covered with gems, and more, valued at
about
$22 billion, which is considered a conservative estimate. With one vault
(Vault B)
still unopened, the total value of these magnificent finds could
possibly top $1 trillion.
●
The "Hope Diamond", the most famous diamond in the world, has a
history that
goes back about 400 years. Once owned by King Louis XIV, the exalted
Hope
diamond changed hands for centuries. Famous jeweler Harry Winston
bought it in
1949 and then donated it to the Smithsonian Institution. A diamond
that comes
with myths and legends, its curse is said to bring misfortune to
anyone who wears
or owns it. Originally called the Tavernier Blue, it was stolen from
the French
Crown in 1791 and then re-cut. The Hope Diamond is simply irreplaceable. It's
insured at the Smithsonian for $250 million.
●
In Poland, back around 1985, during renovation of an old building in the
Polish
town of Sroda, an unexpected treasure trove was found. It included a
magnificent
gold crown, which possibly belonged to Emperor Charles IV's wife.
There were
also 12th and 13th century gold pendants, a gold clasp bearing
precious stones,
gold rings, one bearing a dragon head, gold coins, over 3,000 silver
coins from
the 14th century. This magnificent accidental find is valued at about $120
million.
●
Elizabeth Taylor's famous La Peregrina natural pearl, on a diamond, ruby
and
cultured pearl necklace, which was given to her by Richard Burton. He
bought it
for Liz Taylor in 1969 with a price tag of $37,000. That broke the
world record
back then for the most expensive pearl ever sold at auction. Because
the pear-
shaped La Peregrina, which was revered as one of the most important
pearls in
the world, actually dates back to the 16th century. Velasquez painted it,
it's said
that it belonged to King Phillip II of Spain and also to Queen Mary
I. Richard
Burton had Cartier add the incomparable La Peregrina pearl to a
diamond and
ruby necklace. It sold for $11.8 million in December 2011. Also in
her estate
was a 33.19-carat diamond ring - also from Richard Burton - which
sold for
$8.8 million. The entire Elizabeth Taylor jewelry collection sold for
a total of
$115.9 million.
●
The "Wittelsbach-Graff" Diamond, chief rival of the Hope
Diamond, is a
31.06-carat blue diamond of rare size, with rare deep blue hue and
flawless clarity.
(Both of these historic blue diamonds were actually unearthed in
India, probably
at the Golconda mines.) The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond has been a gemstone
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of royalty throughout history - it's said that its unique shape dates
the stone
cutting back to the 1650s in Europe. An aristocratic, flawless gem passed
from
one royal family to another for centuries, most recently it was mounted on
the
crown of the King of Bavaria until 1918. Its rare blue hue and
stunning size
make it an exquisitely remarkable beauty. Back in 2008 it broke all
records
when it sold for $23.4 million. Today, it's value is estimated at $80
million.
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The "Pink Star", 59.60-carat pink diamond is the largest
internally flawless
fancy vivid pink diamond that the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
ever graded. It's the largest known diamond ever rated "Vivid
Pink" and took
20 months to cautiously cut. It was cut and polished from a 132.5
carat rough
diamond mined in Africa, and broke all auction records for the sale of gemstones.
Called one of the world's natural treasures, this astonishing pink
diamond
eclipsed the record formerly held by the "Oppenheimer
Blue", and is valued
today at $72 million.
●
The "Oppenheimer Blue" diamond set an all-time record for any
jewel ever
sold at auction in May 18, 2016, when it was the largest and finest
fancy vivid
blue diamond to ever be auctioned. The rare rectangular-cut stone is
14.62 carats,
an exceptional, breathtaking diamond. Three private collectors in
Geneva were
the last to vie for ownership of this historic treasure. When the
hammer came
down to lively applause, it sold for a record $57.5 million.
●
"L’Incomparable" Diamond Necklace was named the most
expensive
necklace in the world by Guinness World Records. It features the
largest
internally flawless diamond, the massive yellow 407.48-carat
"Incomparable"
centerpiece diamond, plus 91 diamonds of various cuts, adding an additional
230-carats of smaller diamonds. In other words, this extraordinary
necklace
features a total of 637-carats of diamonds. The
"Incomparable" diamond
was studied and very carefully cut over four years. The
stunning
L'Incomparable is valued at $55 million.
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The "Graff Pink" diamond, a rare 24.78 carat pink diamond was
once described
as "one of the greatest diamonds ever discovered". Pink
diamonds are some of
the rarest in the world, and very few exceed 5 carats or display such
vivid color.
So it's no surprise that the Gemological Institute of America
classified it as
"fancy intense pink", a high color rating for pink diamonds, and assessed
it as
Diamond type IIa -- which puts it in the top 2 percent of all diamonds on
the
planet. Captivating and remarkable, the Graff Pink diamond was mounted in
a
ring and sold at a Swiss auction in November, 2010. Back then, it was
the largest
price paid for a diamond, making it the most expensive diamond in the
world,
selling for $46.2 million. (Then the Oppenheimer Blue broke that
record in 2016.)
●
In 1928, Cartier created the opulent "Patiala" necklace for
Bhupinder Singh
of Patiala who was the Maharaja of the state of Patiala in India at
that time. The
necklace was ravishing, with 2,930 diamonds, plus rubies, and a
428-carat
De Beers diamond, the seventh largest diamond in the world.
Unfortunately, the
spectacular necklace disappeared in 1948. Though the massive De Beers
diamond
was actually found, the other precious gems were never recovered. Value is
considered to be $30 million.
●
The "Diamond Bikini" made a splash when it was featured in
Sports Illustrated
in 2006. Made of pure diamonds that weighed over 150-carats and were
set in
platinum, it was a very very skimpy diamond bikini and a very
expensive dip in
the water. Considered pretty revealing, chances are it probably won't
be doing
much swimming. Designed by Susan Rosen, the tiny diamond bikini is
estimated
at a big $30 million.
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Egyptians are famous for their jewelry - and here's one story worth
mentioning.
Cleopatra really loved her emeralds, but the oddest story, according
to legendary
Pliny, is this: in order to win a bet she made with Marc Anthony that
she could
create the most expensive meal in history, Cleopatra dissolved one of
the two
largest pearls in the world - taken from one of her earrings - in a
goblet of vinegar
and then drank it after it dissolved. It's thought that the drink she had would
be
worth about $28 - $30 million today. (Wonder if she needed a chaser.)
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The most expensive jadeite necklace in the world belonged to
Woolworth heiress
Barbara Hutton - a Cartier jadeite bead, ruby and diamond necklace.
Barbara
Hutton was born in New York City on 14 November 1912, the
granddaughter of
Frank Winfield Woolworth, founder of Woolworth's. Even as a young
girl, she had
a great love for gemstones, especially jadeite. During the late
1930’s, she lived in
London, was a former princess, then a countess. The Woolworth heiress
was one
of the wealthiest women of the 20th century and an avid collector of
jewelry,
including historic jewels. She owned many Cartier jewels. In fact,
Sotheby's
called her piece the "greatest jadeite bead necklace of
historical importance."
It was sold in April, 2014 for more than $27.4 million.
●
The "Chopard Watch" a dazzler made in 2000, sports 874 high
grade diamonds,
at a spectacular 201 carats in an array of colored diamonds of
unusual hues and
fancy shapes that enhance its appeal. Looking more like a gem-studded
bracelet,
there's a special mechanism in this luxury watch that allows three
heart-shaped
diamonds to move aside in order to reveal the watch face which is pavé-set
with
small round yellow diamonds. Entirely handmade, it's the second-most
expensive
watch in the world, an extraordinary $25 million masterpiece.
●
The astounding "Diamond Peacock Ring" is an incredible ring
listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records as jewelry set with the most diamonds
-- it
features as many as 3,827 cut diamonds, weighing in at 50.42 g. It
was created
in India by Savio Jewellery, has a carat value of 16.5-carats, and an
estimated
sale value of over $2.7 million.
●
Speaking of rings, Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring features
a
12-carat oval blue faceted sapphire, surrounded by 14 solitaire
diamonds. The
setting is 18K white gold. Diana's popularity caused this to become a
sought-
after engagement ring design, and public demand really soared in 2010
after
William and Catherine became engaged with Diana's gorgeous, iconic
sapphire
ring. Back in 1981 when Diana's engagement was announced, the ring was valued
between $50,000 and $60,000. Today, some estimate its value at close to
$500,000.
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Please
note that this list of the world's most expensive jewelry is intended
purely
for entertainment and informational purposes only.
Be sure to check out my
Jewelry Blog links below, including Jewelry Care Tips and How to Protect
Your Bling. Thank
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