Necklace: The Hope Diamond

  • Weight:52 carats
  • Worth: $200-$250 million (£151,035,000.00 – £188,738,750.00 approx.)

Possibly the most famous piece of antique diamond jewellery on our list, the Hope Diamond is a cushion-shaped dark blue diamond presently crafted into a necklace. In the past, the diamond has been set in a several different ways, from headpieces to pins.

Presently owned by the Smithsonian Institution, the diamond is said to have had numerous holders, and carries a story of it being cursed. According to the myth, the Hope Diamond’s owners were plagued with bad luck and untimely deaths.

A few examples of the supposed curse have been noted by MentalFloss:

  • Jean-Baptiste Tavernier; some stories say the man suffered a fever after stealing the diamond, and that his body became dinner for the wolves. Other stories say he died at 84.
  • King Louis XVI met his end at the guillotine, aged 38.
  • Marie Antoinette was also guillotined when she was 37 years old.
  • Henry Pelham-Clinton, died at the age of 45.
  • Wilhelm Fals, a Dutch jeweller who handled the diamond, was murdered by his own son.
  • A Greek merchant who possessed the diamond drove his car over a cliff, killing himself and his family.

Perhaps most unfortunate of all, the carrier who delivered the diamond to its current owners suffered a swathe of bad luck. Nancy Pope wrote on the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum’s blog that the carrier was involved in two accidents that left his leg and head wounded. Then, his wife sadly passed away from a heart attack. After that, his house caught fire, and his dog was strangled on his leash.

 

Watch: Graff Diamonds’ Hallucination

  • Weight: 110 carats
  • Worth: $55 million (£41,534,625.00 approx.)

It would be an understatement to say this watch is merely ‘studded’ with diamonds. The wrist piece is absolutely doused with a stunning array of coloured diamonds. Pink, orange, blue, the list goes on. The miniature watch-face in the centre of it all is set in a halo of pink diamonds.

According to Graff’s website, the watch “takes jewellery watchmaking to a whole new level”. The watch’s conception came from none other than Laurence Graff himself, and is a staggering demonstration of craftsmanship.

If, on the off-chance you get distracted by the diamonds and neglect the time, at least you can give “fashionably late” an entirely new meaning wearing this watch.

 

Broach: Graff Diamonds’ Peacock Brooch

  • Weight: 120 carats
  • Worth: $100 million (£75,517,500.00 approx.)

Graff Diamonds joins our list again, with an entry nearly twice the value of the aforementioned watch. This $100 million brooch is in the shape of a peacock, with a stunning tail displaying white and yellow diamonds. For an added touch of royalty, the body of the peacock is made from an extremely rare fancy blue diamond.

Forbes notes that the brooch also has an additional clasp so you can wear the blue diamond on its own and wear it two ways. So it’s functional as well as pretty, in case you were on the fence about buying this one.

 

Ring: The Pink Star

  • Weight:6 carats
  • Worth: $72 million (£54,372,600.00 approx.)

The Telegraph reported in 2017 that The Pink Star ring, an internally flawless pink diamond ring, sold at auction for $71.2 million. The buyer, retailer Chow Tai Fook, now possesses the largest Fancy Vivid Pink diamond of a flawless nature ever graded by the GIA.

The auction was run by Sotheby’s, who revealed that the oval cut took around two years to achieve. The Pink Star is also twice as big as another well-known pink diamond, the Graff Pink.

 

What piece would you want to get your hands on the most?