Colored diamonds have been gaining attention by collectors and investors for decades. The value of colored diamonds is determined through a variety of factors, including standard things like their carat weight and clarity, but some diamonds gain extra value through their provenance. Many of these colored diamonds have passed through the hands of royalty, nobleman, and celebrities. Colored diamonds that have previously belonged to famous owners tend to bring in even higher price tags at auction. In this article, we will discuss 5 diamonds that have sold for more than $5 million at auction in the last 30 years.
The Moussaieff Red Diamond was unearthed in the 1990’s by a Brazilian farmer. It went on to be sold to the William Goldberg Diamond Company who oversaw the cutting of the diamond. After the cutting process, the diamond weighed in as a 5.11 carat vivid red, triangular shaped stone. Shlomo Moussaieff eventually purchased the diamond for $8 million and renamed the diamond to its current moniker. The sales price set the price per carat of this red diamond to $1.56 million.
The Graff Pink Supreme is a 10.83 carat internally flawless, pear shaped, pink diamond. It was sold at auction by Christie’s in Geneva in 1993. Famous diamond collector and cutter Lawrence Graff of London purchased the diamond for $6.40 million, making the diamond worth $591,000 per carat. The diamond color is classified as fancy vivid purple pink. The current owner of the Graff Pink Supreme is not clear, some suspect that the diamond remains in the collection of Lawrence Graff, while others believe that it has since been sold to a private buyer.
The Dubai Rose was named by its owner Amer Radwan, who is a Dubai diamond dealer. The 25.02 carat stone was purchased at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels Sale in New York in 2005. Radwan purchased the diamond for $6 million, giving it a value of $248,000 per carat. The Dubai Rose is classified as a fancy pink pear shaped diamond. The diamond has yet to appear on the auction block since its 2005 sale, but one can only assume it would earn a significantly higher price tag should the owner choose to resell it more than 10 years after its initial purchase.
The Ocean Dream was discovered in Central Africa and went on to be cut by Master Cutter Mazhar Saylam. The 5.5 carat stone has a color classification of fancy vivid blue-green and was fashioned into a radiant cut shape. It was purchased by the Cora Diamond Corporation for $8.63 million in 2014, making it worth $1.57 million per carat. The Ocean Dream is the only known diamond to possess a natural blue-green hue, which is thought to be the result of millions of years of natural radiation.
The Millennium Blue Diamond was sold by Sotheby’s in London in 2010. The 5.16 carat diamond has a color classification of fancy vivid blue. The diamond was purchased by an anonymous buyer for $6.39 million, making it worth $1.24 million per carat. The Millennium Blue is fashioned into a pear shaped ring that is flanked by two colorless white diamonds.
For more information about record-breaking colored diamonds, see the links below:
- Top Ten Colored Diamonds Sales Prices
- 4 Superstar Blue Diamonds
- The Most Expensive Pink Diamonds per Carat
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