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The Hortensia Diamond Named after the Queen of Holland (Napoleon's step-daughter), the rock glittered on Napoleon's epaulette braid fastening and... more
The Hortensia Diamond Named after the Queen of Holland (Napoleon's step-daughter), the rock glittered on Napoleon's epaulette braid fastening and, later, on Empress Eugenie's diamond-encrusted comb. After the French Revolution, the diamond was snatched from the Garde Meuble and later found in a bag of treasures (that included additional French Crown Jewels) in the attic of an old house in Paris. According to lore, the man who stole the precious gems disclosed the secret location just before his execution. Today, it's held in the Louvre's Gallerie d'Apollon.
Photo: RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource
NY/Artres/RMN/Droits rÈservÈs
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Koh-i-Noor Diamond The 105-carat jewel is currently housed in the Tower of London, glimmering atop the Queen Mother's 1937 coronation crown. It's... more
Koh-i-Noor Diamond The 105-carat jewel is currently housed in the Tower of London, glimmering atop the Queen Mother's 1937 coronation crown. It's another gem with a rich history of getting plundered . Owned by a succession of sultans, warlords, and rulers, the rock ended up in the English Crown Jewels collection after the British conquered Punjab. Ever since Queen Victoria laid her hands on this diamond (and had it recut to better please her), only female members of the British royal families have worn it. Supposedly, it brings "great misfortune" to men who wear it.
Photo: Tim Graham/Tim Graham/Getty Images
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The Taylor-Burton Diamond The diamond was more a husband's act of penance to his wife rather than an act of love. After Richard Burton called Eli... more
The Taylor-Burton Diamond The diamond was more a husband's act of penance to his wife rather than an act of love. After Richard Burton called Elizabeth Taylor's hands "ugly," "manly," "large," and "masculine" during a dinnertime spat, the actress turned the situation to her benefit. She insisted that he purchase what was then considered "the largest and most expensive diamond in the world" for her so that her hands would appear smaller and less hideous. He followed through, bought the 69.42-carat diamond, and simply told reporters it was a gift for his wife.
Photo: Frank Edwards
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The Hope Diamond The Hope is a diamond that's believed to be cursed, despite its positive moniker. Exhibit A: Evalyn Walsh McLean, one of its for... more
The Hope Diamond The Hope is a diamond that's believed to be cursed, despite its positive moniker. Exhibit A: Evalyn Walsh McLean, one of its former owners, referred to the rock as her "lucky charm." Soon after acquiring it, though, McLean's son died in a car accident, her husband divorced her and died insane, and her daughter committed suicide. She herself became a moprhine addict. In 1959, the 45.52-carat rock was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. It was sent by regular mail.
Photo: Fred Ward/Corbis
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The Cora Sun-Drop Diamond The Cora, at 110 carats, is the largest yellow pear-shaped diamond. It auctioned for $11 million in 2011, setting Sothe... more
The Cora Sun-Drop Diamond The Cora, at 110 carats, is the largest yellow pear-shaped diamond. It auctioned for $11 million in 2011, setting Sotheby’s new record for a yellow diamond.
Photo: Anja Niedringhaus/Corbis
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Kim Kardashian's "$75,000" Earring On a family vacation in Bora Bora, Kim Kardashian's then-fiancé, Kris Humphries, playfully to... more
Kim Kardashian's "$75,000" Earring On a family vacation in Bora Bora, Kim Kardashian's then-fiancé, Kris Humphries, playfully tossed her into the clear blue water. She giggled for a second, until she reached over to her earlobe and found that one of her giant, "uninsured" diamond earrings was missing. Without even attempting to look for the diamond, she wept and cursed at Humphries in hysterics, screaming, “That was $75,000! We’re not going to fucking find it in the ocean. Seriously! I’m so fucking annoyed.” Her younger siblings, Kylie and Kendall, found it in the ocean that same day.
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La Peregrina Pearl After passing from the hands of Spanish, French, and English kings and queens (Bloody Mary included), the pearl eventually wou... more
La Peregrina Pearl After passing from the hands of Spanish, French, and English kings and queens (Bloody Mary included), the pearl eventually wound up perched prominently on the bosom of an American royal, Elizabeth Taylor, in 1969. Richard Burton purchased the pearl for her, even outbidding a prince . Taylor then misplaced La Peregrina in a Las Vegas hotel, only to find it in her dog's mouth.
Photo: AFP/2011 AFP
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The Star of India The world's largest sapphire, allegedly around 2 billion years old , weighs 563-carats and is roughly the size of a golf ball. O... more
The Star of India The world's largest sapphire, allegedly around 2 billion years old , weighs 563-carats and is roughly the size of a golf ball. On Halloween eve in 1964, it was stolen in a heist at the Museum of Natural History , only to be found a few days later in a Miami bus terminal locker. Today, it's safe in the American Museum of Natural History (with better security).
Photo: AMNH/C. Chesek
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The Cullinan Diamond When it was discovered in South Africa, the Cullinan was the largest diamond ever found. It was cut into more than 100 small... more
The Cullinan Diamond When it was discovered in South Africa, the Cullinan was the largest diamond ever found. It was cut into more than 100 smaller pieces, the nine largest of which belong to the British Royal Family. Pictured to the left is a brooch made out of Cullinan III and IV (obviously, they're numbered using roman numerals).
Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
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The Taj Mahal Diamond Hanging from Elizabeth Taylor's neck here is the Taj Mahal, a heart-shaped, table-cut diamond that was another one of Burto... more
The Taj Mahal Diamond Hanging from Elizabeth Taylor's neck here is the Taj Mahal, a heart-shaped, table-cut diamond that was another one of Burton's gifts to Taylor . To announce this opulent purchase, the couple held a press conference.
Photo: Gregory Pace/Corbis
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The Duchess of Windsor's Panther Bracelet The onyx-and-diamond panther bracelet designed by Cartier formerly belonged to the Duchess of Windsor, ... more
The Duchess of Windsor's Panther Bracelet The onyx-and-diamond panther bracelet designed by Cartier formerly belonged to the Duchess of Windsor, otherwise known as the American socialite Wallis Simpson. King Edward VIII left the British throne to wed the two-time divorcée and commissioned this item specifically in order to impress his new lady. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/Corbis
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The Dresden Green Weighing in at 41 carats, the Dresden Green is the largest "naturally green" diamond to date . During World War I... more
The Dresden Green Weighing in at 41 carats, the Dresden Green is the largest "naturally green" diamond to date . During World War II, this got locked away in Germany's Green Vaults (clearly for its protection) — only to get stolen by a stealthy Russian organization called the "Soviet Trophies Commission." The gem (and the other stolen jewels) were later returned to Dresden and, today, it resides once more in the Green Vaults.
Photo: Michael Freeman/Corbis
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The Tsarevna Swan Ring The Guinness Book of World Records crowned the Ukraine-made swan ring with the title, "the most diamonds set in one r... more
The Tsarevna Swan Ring The Guinness Book of World Records crowned the Ukraine-made swan ring with the title, "the most diamonds set in one ring wearable on the human finger." It includes 2,525 diamonds set on a 18-carat white gold ring.
Photo: Courtesy of Lobortas Classic Jewelry House of Kiev
Ukraine/
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The Graff Pink The 24-carat pink diamond was purchased by Laurence Graff in 2010 for more than $46 million. After purchasing it, Graff immediatel... more
The Graff Pink The 24-carat pink diamond was purchased by Laurence Graff in 2010 for more than $46 million. After purchasing it, Graff immediately renamed it after himself.
Photo: Lefteris Pitarakis/Corbis
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Princess Soraya's Engagement Ring The 22-carat diamond engagement ring belonged to Iranian Princess Soraya, which she received from the Shah of I... more
Princess Soraya's Engagement Ring The 22-carat diamond engagement ring belonged to Iranian Princess Soraya, which she received from the Shah of Iran in 1950. After the princess passed away in 2002, all of her belongings were auctioned off in Paris.
Photo: REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/Corbis
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The Tiffany Diamond In 1877, Tiffany & Co.'s iconic 128-carat yellow diamond was found in South Africa. It adorned Audrey Hepburn's neck whil... more
The Tiffany Diamond In 1877, Tiffany & Co.'s iconic 128-carat yellow diamond was found in South Africa. It adorned Audrey Hepburn's neck while she was doing publicity photos for Breakfast at Tiffany's and, today, it’s on permanent display in the New York Fifth Avenue store.
Photo: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/2012 AFP
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The Heart of Eternity The “fancy vivid blue” diamond from South Africa was once the target of an unsuccessful diamond heist at the Millenn... more
The Heart of Eternity The “fancy vivid blue” diamond from South Africa was once the target of an unsuccessful diamond heist at the Millennium Dome in London that took place in 2000. Police were tipped off about the planned robbery for months and eleven men, who were all members of a criminal gang, were arrested.
Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS
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Princess Diana's (Now Duchess Kate's) Sapphire Ring Princess Di picked out her 18-carat oval sapphire engagment ring surrounded with diamonds in ... more
Princess Diana's (Now Duchess Kate's) Sapphire Ring Princess Di picked out her 18-carat oval sapphire engagment ring surrounded with diamonds in 1981. Her choice became legendary, because at the time, the ring cost $60,000, which meant that just about anyone with the money could purchase it. Haters called it "the commoner's sapphire" and turned up their noses at the fact that a royal would purchase something relatively plain. But the princess made the ring and rock iconic. Prince William slipped the same one on Kate Middleton's finger on the day of their engagement in 2010.
Photo: STR/Corbis
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The Logan Sapphire Originally from Sri Lanka, this 423-carat violet blue sapphire is roughly the size of an egg . It belonged to a Washington, D.C... more
The Logan Sapphire Originally from Sri Lanka, this 423-carat violet blue sapphire is roughly the size of an egg . It belonged to a Washington, D.C., socialite, Mrs. Polly Logan , who donated the stone to the Smithsonian’s collection in 1960.
Photo: Chip Clark/This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws.
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Ziegfeld Pearl Necklaces In the spirit of Gatsby , Tiffany & Co. designed this new collection in April. The two chains are made entirely out o... more
Ziegfeld Pearl Necklaces In the spirit of Gatsby , Tiffany & Co. designed this new collection in April. The two chains are made entirely out of freshwater pearls, with one featuring an Art Deco tassel with sterling silver. In the film, Daisy Buchanan rips the strands from her neck in tears when she receives a letter from Gatsby on her wedding day.
Photo: Tiffany & Co.
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Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck's Emerald and Diamond Tiara The tiara is composed of eleven rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops,... more
Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck's Emerald and Diamond Tiara The tiara is composed of eleven rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops, which are rumored to have belonged to Empress Eugenie. The tiara was commissioned around 1900 by a German prince for wife, Katharina , and was last sold at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva for $12.7 million .
Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images
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Jennifer Lopez's Pink Engagement Ring In 2002, Ben Affleck showed the world how much he loved Jenny from the Block with a 6-carat pink engagement... more
Jennifer Lopez's Pink Engagement Ring In 2002, Ben Affleck showed the world how much he loved Jenny from the Block with a 6-carat pink engagement ring. It created a colored-diamond craze. When Bennifer eventually split, media outlets speculated whether Lopez would return the rock to Affleck. (She eventually did.)
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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The Pearl of Allah A fourteen-pound pearl, thought to be the world’s largest, was first found in the Palawan Sea. According to history, it came f... more
The Pearl of Allah A fourteen-pound pearl, thought to be the world’s largest, was first found in the Palawan Sea. According to history, it came from an enormous Tridacna clam that once clamped down a diver's arm and killed him . Because it's a clam pearl, it lacks iridescent sheen. Still, it was the subject of an ownership lawsuit that spanned three decades.
Photo: Andy Cross/Denver Post via Getty Images
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The Krupp Diamond The Burton-Taylor diamond saga continues. Burton gifted the 33-carat diamond ring to Taylor in 1968. Allegedly, Princess Maraga... more
The Krupp Diamond The Burton-Taylor diamond saga continues. Burton gifted the 33-carat diamond ring to Taylor in 1968. Allegedly, Princess Maragaret once called the ring "vulgar " at a wedding they both attended. That is, untill Taylor offered to let the Princess try on the ring herself.
Photo: Frank Trapper/Corbis
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Camilla Parker Bowles's Engagement Ring Prince Charles went and gave her a Royal Family heirloom for her engagement ring: the diamond-and-platinu... more
Camilla Parker Bowles's Engagement Ring Prince Charles went and gave her a Royal Family heirloom for her engagement ring: the diamond-and-platinum piece featuring three diamond baguettes on each side that originally belonged to the Queen Mother.
Photo: John Stillwell/Pool/Corbis
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Cartier Halo Tiara The tiara, worn by Kate Middleton the day of the Royal Wedding, was lent to her by the Queen. Made in 1936, the tiara original... more
Cartier Halo Tiara The tiara, worn by Kate Middleton the day of the Royal Wedding, was lent to her by the Queen. Made in 1936, the tiara originally belonged to the Queen Mother, who then passed it down to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday .
Photo: BEN STANSALL/2011 AFP
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Angelina Jolie's Engagement Ring According to Star magazine , Angelina Jolie found her rectangular, $500,000 ring specially designed by Bra... more
Angelina Jolie's Engagement Ring According to Star magazine , Angelina Jolie found her rectangular, $500,000 ring specially designed by Brad Pitt too "tacky" to wear.
Photo: Howard Pasamanick/Corbis
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The Archduke Joseph Diamond This cushion-cut diamond once set the world record at auction for a colorless diamond, and Celine Dion wore it around... more
The Archduke Joseph Diamond This cushion-cut diamond once set the world record at auction for a colorless diamond, and Celine Dion wore it around her neck after it was fashioned into a necklace for a TV special.
Photo: LAURENT GILLIERON/Corbis
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Part of
The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. The glimmering headpiece that crowns Daisy Buchanan's blonde bob in The Great Gastby wa... more
Part of
The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. The glimmering headpiece that crowns Daisy Buchanan's blonde bob in The Great Gastby was one of the special items Tiffany & Co. produced for the film. Called the Savoy, the Jazz Age tiara-of-sorts is also multi-use: The feather dotted with diamonds and freshwater cultured pearls is a detachable brooch.
Photo: Carlton Davis
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The Regent Diamond According to lore, the 141-carat diamond was originally discovered by a slave in India who hid the stone in a leg wound for sa... more
The Regent Diamond According to lore, the 141-carat diamond was originally discovered by a slave in India who hid the stone in a leg wound for safekeeping. After deaths and multiple trades, the rock went on to embellish royal crowns belonging to Louis XV, XVI, and XVIII and Napoleon Bonaparte's sword . Today, it exists in the Louvre mounted on a Greek diadem that was designed for Empress Eugenie.
Photo: Erich Lessing/Art Resource
NY/Artres
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The Fabergé Egg Now closely associated with the Russian Imperial family, the first-ever "Imperial Easter egg" was dreamt up by T... more
The Fabergé Egg Now closely associated with the Russian Imperial family, the first-ever "Imperial Easter egg" was dreamt up by Tsar Alexander III to surprise his wife, Empress Marie Fedorovna . Following the first bedazzled egg, the Tsar made it a tradition to present an egg each year to his wife. Fifty eggs were made for the imperial family between 1885 to 1916.
Photo: Pat Sullivan/Corbis
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The Pumpkin Diamond The 5.5-cara "Fancy Vivid Orange" diamond is the largest known orange diamond. Halle Berry wore it when she won an ... more
The Pumpkin Diamond The 5.5-cara "Fancy Vivid Orange" diamond is the largest known orange diamond. Halle Berry wore it when she won an Oscar in 2002 and its nickname, "the Pumpkin Diamond,” was coined by Harry Winston when he purchased the rare rock in 1998 .
Photo: Jacques Langevin/Corbis
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The Black Orlov Diamond Another diamond that is supposedly cursed. A monk in India allegedly plucked it from the eye of an idol of Brahma. Ever s... more
The Black Orlov Diamond Another diamond that is supposedly cursed. A monk in India allegedly plucked it from the eye of an idol of Brahma. Ever since, some people say it has caused "violent death" to the owners , many of whom jumped to their ends in what were deemed suicides. It was last seen on display in 2005 at the Natural History Museum's "Diamonds" exhibition in London and now belongs to an anonymous private collector.
Photo: Richard Lewis/Corbis
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The Heart of the Ocean The fictional diamond and sapphire necklace crafted from James Cameron's mind that made Titanic history. Whil... more
The Heart of the Ocean The fictional diamond and sapphire necklace crafted from James Cameron's mind that made Titanic history. While the Heart of the Ocean never existed, it was allegedly crafted after a necklace (that may not have even been made from real sapphire) that was on the real ship and is now called the Love of the Sea.
Photo: Getty Images
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The Star of Asia Sapphire Said to have belonged to India’s Maharajah of Jodhpur, the six-ray sapphire from Burma weighs 329 carats. Along with ma... more
The Star of Asia Sapphire Said to have belonged to India’s Maharajah of Jodhpur, the six-ray sapphire from Burma weighs 329 carats. Along with many of these other jewels, it’s currently part of the Smithsonian Museum’s permanent collection.
Photo: Chip Clark/This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws.
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The Millennium Star Diamond The Star is a pear-shaped, 203-carat, colorless diamond, cut from a 777-carat crystal founded in the early nineties. ... more
The Millennium Star Diamond The Star is a pear-shaped, 203-carat, colorless diamond, cut from a 777-carat crystal founded in the early nineties. There was once an attempted heist in 2000 to steal the diamond along with others, but it was successfully foiled by police in London.
Photo: Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images
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The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch is made from a piece of Mughal emerald that hails from the mid-seve... more
The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch is made from a piece of Mughal emerald that hails from the mid-seventeenth century. The stone from India weighs 55.8 carats and is carved with tulips , and was sold at a Christie's auction to in 2003.
Photo: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images
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The Steinmetz Pink The pink diamond weighs 59.60 carats and was modeled at the Smithsonian’s “Splendor of Diamonds” exhibit in 2003. It's the lar... more
The Steinmetz Pink The pink diamond weighs 59.60 carats and was modeled at the Smithsonian’s “Splendor of Diamonds” exhibit in 2003. It's the largest vivid pink diamond known and took the Steinmetz Group twenty months to cut it.
Photo: Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images
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The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. This piece features a 49.59-carat emerald-cut aquamarine, along with diamonds set in pl... more
Part of
The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. This piece features a 49.59-carat emerald-cut aquamarine, along with diamonds set in platinum. It was inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s film in collaboration with Catherine Martin.
Photo: Carlton Davis