The most valuable diamonds
When a man buys his engagement ring, the old saying is that it should be worth two month’s salary. Meaning this item of jewellery – possibly the most expensive a man will ever buy – costs thousands of dollars. But this sum pales in comparison to some of those on show as the most expensive. Often these rare, flawless diamonds can sell for many millions – recent examples have been two record breaking purchases by London jeweller Lawrence Graff. Firstly, Graff purchased and renamed the blue hued Wittelsbach-Graff diamond, which he purchased in 2008 for a staggering US$24.3 million. But then, afterwards, he shattered this record with the purchase of a pink diamond, renamed “The Graff Pink” for an astounding US$46.2 million.
Yet Graff does not own the diamonds considered the most valuable, and this is not just due to their size. In the Tower of London, set into the crown of Queen Elizabeth – the mother of the current Queen of England – is the almost mythical Koh-i-Noor, or ‘Mountain of Light’ in Persian. This diamond was once the largest in the world, and in its current cut, weighs in at a magnificent 105 carats. This diamond, however pure and expensive it is, however, is often greeted with disappointment. In an effort to increase its brilliance, Prince Albert of England undertook to re-cut the stone in 1852. The weight was dramatically reduced from 186 carats to its current 105.
It is not only the weight of a diamond that makes it most valuable, however. In fact, it could be argued that it is almost secondary. It is, instead, the stones brilliance and purity which sets it apart. The largest faceted diamond in the world is The Golden Jubilee, the 545.67 carat diamond found in South Africa, which pales in size to the largest rough, quality diamond ever found, the Cullinan diamond, weighing an astounding 3,106.75 carats. The diamond was cut into 9 separate precious stones.
The most important thing, however, is that a diamond is flawless. This means that it must have no flaw inside the stone, detectable by any means. Most diamonds bought for engagement rings and the like are far from flawless, but they contain such tiny imprecisions that the naked eye or even a magnifying glass cannot pick them out. With the cut diamonds, it is also most important to shape the diamond so that the light reflects and shines back through, making a diamond brilliant. The color of the diamonds is also of great importance. For non ‘fancy’ colored diamonds, the clearer the color the better, with the colorless diamonds being of greatest value.
All in all, there are diamonds out there that you can buy for your beloved. They can be set into a beautiful ring, and are worth thousands of dollars. If you have the money to spend, though, there are these millionaire diamonds out there that are simply stunning.
Just for laughs see what this girl does to her $9000 engagement ring. Makes you think maybe I'll have the cheaper ring next time you talk to your diamond buyer.
