The World’s Most Expensive Diamond Sales of All Time
Quick answer: The world’s most expensive diamond ever sold is the CTF Pink Star, a 59.60-carat Fancy Vivid Pink that fetched $71.2 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2017, still the record for any diamond or jewel at auction. Behind it sit two blue diamonds, the Oppenheimer Blue and De Beers Blue, at roughly $57.5 million each. The highest price per carat belongs to the Williamson Pink Star at about $5.15 million per carat. Color, rarity, and clarity, not size alone, drive these record prices.
So here is the definitive ranking of history’s most expensive diamond sales, and what an expert understands about why each one broke records.
A Note on Where This Analysis Comes From
This guide comes from Regal Studio in Buckhead, Atlanta. Our founder, Mack, began at the jeweller’s bench at just fourteen, trained across Europe, and is today a GIA Certified Diamond Grader with over 45 years of experience.
We have followed the great auction records across four decades of diamond grading. Each one teaches a lesson about value.
So this is not a recycled price list. It is an expert’s read on what makes a diamond worth tens of millions.
The World’s Most Expensive Diamonds: The Record Table
Let us start with the definitive ranking, since that is what you came for. These are total auction prices, including buyer’s premium.
Rank | Diamond | Carats | Color | Price | Year |
1 | CTF Pink Star | 59.60 | Fancy Vivid Pink | $71.2 million | 2017 |
2 | Oppenheimer Blue | 14.62 | Fancy Vivid Blue | $57.5 million | 2016 |
3 | De Beers Blue | 15.10 | Fancy Vivid Blue | $57.5 million | 2022 |
4 | Williamson Pink Star | 11.15 | Fancy Vivid Pink | $57.7 million | 2022 |
5 | Pink Legacy (Winston) | 18.96 | Fancy Vivid Pink | $50.4 million | 2018 |
6 | Blue Moon of Josephine | 12.03 | Fancy Vivid Blue | $48.5 million | 2015 |
A key insight often overlooked: notice how small these record-breakers are. None exceeds 60 carats, and most are under 20. In this rarefied tier, color trumps size every time.
Number One: The CTF Pink Star ($71.2 Million)
The reigning champion is in a class of its own.
The CTF Pink Star is a 59.60-carat oval Fancy Vivid Pink diamond, Internally Flawless. It is the largest diamond of its kind the GIA has ever graded.
It sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2017 for $71.2 million, shattering every record for a diamond or gemstone at auction. That crown still stands today.
Its history is dramatic. Mined by De Beers in 1999 as a 132.5-carat rough, it took Steinmetz two years to cut. It even sold once before, in 2013 for $83 million, but that buyer defaulted, sending it back to auction.
A key insight often overlooked: the buyer, Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook, renamed it the CTF Pink Star. Interestingly, its per-carat price of about $1.2 million was actually below the going rate for comparable pinks, a sign of how its sheer size affected the math.
Numbers Two and Three: The Great Blue Diamonds
Just behind the Pink Star sit two blue diamonds, virtually tied.
The Oppenheimer Blue, a 14.62-carat Fancy Vivid Blue, sold for $57.5 million at Christie’s Geneva in 2016. At the time, it was the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction.
The De Beers Blue, a 15.10-carat step-cut Fancy Vivid Blue, matched roughly that figure in 2022 at about $57.4 million. It was the largest vivid blue ever offered at auction.
Experience has shown that blue diamonds command these sums for a reason. Their color comes from trace boron, and they are Type IIb, a classification shared by less than 0.5% of all diamonds. They are the rarest of the rare.
The Per-Carat Champion: Williamson Pink Star
Here is where an expert distinction matters. The most expensive total sale is not the most expensive per carat.
The Williamson Pink Star, an 11.15-carat Fancy Vivid Pink, sold for $57.7 million in 2022. Because it is smaller, that works out to roughly $5.15 million per carat.
That is the highest per-carat price ever paid for any diamond or gemstone at auction. It surpasses even the Pink Star.
A key insight often overlooked: per-carat price is the truest measure of a stone’s intrinsic rarity. By that yardstick, the Williamson is arguably the most valuable diamond of all, pound for pound.
Why These Diamonds Command Such Prices
Six factors, working together, push a diamond into record territory. Understanding them explains the whole list.
- Color intensity. Fancy Vivid, the top grade, is where prices explode.
- Rarity of hue. Pink, blue, and red are the scarcest colors on Earth.
- Carat weight. Large colored diamonds are exponentially rarer than small ones.
- Clarity. Internally Flawless at this size is almost unheard of.
- Diamond type. Type IIa and IIb purity mark the most chemically perfect stones.
- Provenance. A famous former owner, like Oppenheimer, adds a premium.
In our market observations, no single factor makes a record. It is the combination, all six aligning in one stone, that produces a $50 million-plus sale.
Color vs. Size: The Lesson of the List
Step back and one truth defines every record on this list.
A flawless 100-carat white diamond, while stunning and valuable, has never approached these prices. Yet a 12-carat vivid blue can fetch $48 million.
The reason is scarcity of color. White diamonds, however large, are far more common than a vivid pink or blue.
Experience has shown that this is the single most important lesson in high-end diamonds. Rarity of color, not raw carat weight, is what creates a fortune.
Where Are These Record Diamonds Now?
Most of these legendary stones have vanished into private collections.
The CTF Pink Star belongs to Chow Tai Fook. The Blue Moon of Josephine went to Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau, who named it for his daughter. The Oppenheimer Blue went to an anonymous private collector.
A key insight often overlooked: unlike museum treasures such as the Hope or Dresden Green diamonds, these modern record-breakers rarely go on public display. Once sold, they typically disappear from view.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most expensive diamond ever sold?
The CTF Pink Star, a 59.60-carat Fancy Vivid Pink, sold for $71.2 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2017. It remains the record for any diamond or jewel ever sold at auction.What is the most expensive diamond per carat?
The Williamson Pink Star, which sold for $57.7 million in 2022 at about $5.15 million per carat, the highest per-carat price ever paid for a diamond or gemstone.Why are colored diamonds more expensive than white ones?
Because color is far rarer than size. Vivid pink, blue, and red diamonds are extraordinarily scarce, so they command prices that even the largest flawless white diamonds do not approach.Which is more valuable, pink or blue diamonds?
Both rank among the most valuable. Pinks hold the top total-price and per-carat records (the Pink Star and Williamson Pink Star). Blues like the Oppenheimer Blue are close behind and are chemically among the rarest, as Type IIb stones.Where are the world’s most expensive diamonds now?
Most are in private collections. The CTF Pink Star belongs to Chow Tai Fook, and the Blue Moon of Josephine and Oppenheimer Blue went to private buyers. Unlike museum stones, they are rarely displayed publicly.
Discover Rare and Fancy Color Diamonds in Atlanta
Record-setting diamonds teach one clear lesson: rare color, top clarity, and expert cutting are what create extraordinary value. Understanding those qualities is the difference between a good diamond and a great one.
At Regal Studio in Buckhead, every piece is designed and handcrafted by Mack, a GIA Certified Diamond Grader with over 45 years of experience and the trust of more than 278 five-star clients. Whether you are drawn to a rare fancy color diamond or a flawless classic, we help you understand and source the finest stones with complete transparency.
Our motto says it all: “You Dream It, We Make It.”
Visit Regal Studio on Peachtree Road in Buckhead, or get in touch to book a consultation. Let a seasoned master jeweler help you find a diamond worthy of its own story.
Read More:
The Rarest Diamonds on Earth: Colors, Origins, and Prices Explained
Jewelry Repair Near Me: Atlanta’s Guide to Choosing a Trusted Local Jeweler
