THE MOST EXPENSIVE RINGS IN THE WORLD
Israeli Diamantaires
From the Cullinan to the Pink Star - the most expensive rings in the world
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26.10.17Gems and Jewelry
Credit: Sotheby's
Following the sale of the Pink Star, a 59.60-carat pink diamond ring for $71.2 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong in April 2017, the Jewellery Editor delves into some of the most expensive rings in the world.
The Pink Star
The 59.60-carat pink diamond ring features the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid diamond ever graded by the GIA. Selling for $71.2 million, it is now the most expensive ring in the world and the most valuable gemstone ever sold at auction. It was sold to Chow Tai Fook and was renamed the CTF Pink after the company's initials.
The Oppenheimer Blue Diamond Ring
The Oppenheimer Blue, the second most expensive jewel to sell at auction, sold for $57.7 million at Christie's Geneva in May 2016. Believed to be sourced at the Cullinan mine in South Africa, it was named after renowned diamantaire Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who gave the ring to his wife Pamela.
Credit: Christie's
The Graff Pink
The Graff Pink was bought by jeweler Laurence Graff in 2010 for $46.2 million. Graff said the emerald-cut Fancy Intense pink gem was "the most fabulous diamond" he'd ever seen in his 35-year career. The Graff Pink is set into a platinum ring flanked by two shield-shaped white diamonds. It was previously owned by American jeweler Harry Winston.
Credit: Graff Diamonds
The Cullinan Dream
The 24.18 carat Cullinan Dream was sold for $25.4 million at Christie's New York in June 2016. The rectangular mixed-cut stone is set onto a platinum ring with baguette-cut diamond side stones. Like the Oppenheimer Blue, the Cullinan Dream comes from the Cullinan mine, and is the largest of four gems cut from a 122.52 carat rough blue diamond unearthed there in 2014.
Credit: Iris Hortman
According to the piece, "the fact that all the rings featured here are set with colored rather than colorless gems highlights the strong demand for high-quality colored diamonds". Blue diamonds account for only 0.0001% of all gems mined, and only around 1% of these stones "display the color tone and saturation that allow them to be classified as Fancy Vivid".
As for pink diamonds, only 50 or 60 top-quality gems appear on the market each year, and rake in between 20% and 40% more per carat than the equivalent white diamonds.
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