George Boyle
The price of wedding rings varies widely, and celebrity engagement rings have become a symbol of luxury and extravagance. The Pink Star diamond ring, for instance, was purchased for a staggering $71.2 million, making it the world's most expensive ring. The ring features a 59.60-carat oval-shaped, vivid pink diamond, a rare Type IIa diamond with no measurable impurities. Another notable example is Grace Kelly's 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond ring, which was worth $4 million in 1956 but is now valued at $44.3 million. Celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez, and Mariah Carey have also received exceptionally expensive engagement rings, with some costing over $10 million.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Ring Name | CTF Pink/Pink Star |
| Carat Weight | 59.60 |
| Shape | Oval |
| Colour | Fancy Vivid Pink |
| Type | Type IIa |
| Clarity | Internally Flawless |
| Setting | 18K Rose and White Gold |
| Side Stones | Colourless Trapeze-cut Diamonds and Light Pink Diamonds |
| Price | $71.2 million |
| Buyer | Chow Tai Fook |
| Year | 2017 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
The Pink Star diamond
The Pink Star was originally unearthed by De Beers in Botswana, Africa, in 1999. The original rough diamond weighed 132.5 carats and was cut and polished over a two-year period by Diacore, formerly known as Steinmetz Diamond Group, a world-renowned diamond manufacturer. The Pink Star was unveiled to the public as the Steinmetz Pink in 2003 in a public ceremony in Monaco.
The diamond was displayed as part of the Smithsonian's "The Splendor of Diamonds" exhibit, alongside other famous diamonds such as the De Beers Millennium Star and the Heart of Eternity Diamond. In November 2013, it was auctioned by Sotheby's Geneva and sold for $83 million, a world record for any gemstone at the time. However, the buyer, New York diamond cutter Isaac Wolf, defaulted on the payment, and the diamond was added back to Sotheby's inventory.
In April 2017, the Pink Star was sold again at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong. This time, it was purchased by Chow Tai Fook, a Hong Kong-based jewellery company, for $71.2 million, making it the world's most expensive ring. The company renamed the diamond the CTF Pink.
Wedding Ring Finger: Heart-Connected Vein Myth
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Grace Kelly's engagement ring
The Pink Star diamond ring is one of the most expensive diamond rings in the world. Chow Tai Fook, a Hong Kong-based jewellery company, purchased the 59.60-carat oval-shaped, vivid pink diamond for $71.2 million at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong in April 2017. The ring features a rare Type IIa diamond with no measurable impurities.
Finding Your Wedding Ring in the Snow
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Mariah Carey's 35-carat ring
When it comes to wedding rings with diamonds, one of the most expensive celebrity engagement rings belongs to Mariah Carey. The Australian billionaire businessman James Packer proposed to the singer in January 2016 with a 35-carat diamond ring worth $10 million. The ring was designed by Wilfredo Rosado, a friend of Carey's for over 25 years. Rosado described the process as "mixing simplicity with volume", creating a "beautiful balance" with the large stone and the overall simplicity of the design. The ring included two small tapered baguettes on either side of the centre stone, a look that Rosado says he devised after having conversations with Carey about her preferred styles over the years. The ring was so large, in fact, that Carey joked after her engagement that it was "so heavy [she] can't lift [her] arm up".
The couple split in 2016, but Carey got to keep the ring per the settlement reached in 2017. The ring is reportedly worth around $7-10 million, but it is unclear whether it would sell for that amount. Carey eventually sold the ring to an LA jeweller for a rumoured $2.1 million, though a representative for Carey stated that she was "leaving emotional and material baggage behind".
J.Lo's Wedding Ring: A Massive Carat Sensation
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Elizabeth Taylor's Krupp diamond
The Pink Star diamond, a 59.60-carat oval-shaped, fancy vivid pink, and rare Type IIa diamond, tops the list of the world's most expensive diamond rings. The ring was purchased by Hong Kong-based jewellery company Chow Tai Fook for $71.2 million at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong in April 2017.
Now, let's talk about Elizabeth Taylor's Krupp diamond in greater detail:
Elizabeth Taylor, a Hollywood icon, received the Krupp diamond as a gift from her husband, Richard Burton, in 1968. It is a 33.19-carat Asscher-cut diamond that was formerly owned by actress Vera Krupp. The diamond was purchased by Richard at an auction in New York for $305,000, and he presented it to Elizabeth on their yacht, the Kalizma, while it was moored on the River Thames in London. Elizabeth wore the Krupp diamond as a ring and considered it her favourite piece of jewellery.
The Krupp Diamond's History and Significance:
The Krupp diamond's history before the twentieth century is largely unknown. However, experts believe it may have originated in India's Golconda region or South Africa's Jagersfontein Mine. Due to its cut, which features a large open culet and rectangular-shaped corners, it is thought to have been faceted before the 1920s. The diamond was originally named after the Krupp family of German industrialists and was sold as part of Vera Krupp's estate after her death in 1967.
The Fate of the Krupp Diamond:
After Elizabeth Taylor's death in 2011, the Krupp diamond was auctioned at Christie's by her estate on December 16, 2011. It was renamed the "Elizabeth Taylor Diamond" and sold for $8,818,500 (including buyer's premium), setting a record price per carat for a colorless diamond. The diamond was purchased by the South Korean conglomerate E-Land.
Stream The Wedding Ringer: A Guide
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Celebrity engagement rings
Elizabeth Taylor also received a famously expensive ring from Richard Burton. Four years after they wed, in 1968, he gave her the Krupp diamond, a 33-carat stone with an Asscher cut that once belonged to actress Vera Krupp. While he paid $305,000 for it, it sold for $8.8 million at a Christie’s auction in 2011. Mariah Carey also received a $10 million, 35-carat emerald-cut diamond ring from her ex-fiancé, Australian billionaire James Packer.
Other celebrity engagement rings that have made headlines include the one given to Grace Kelly by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956. The impressive Cartier ring was a 10.48-carat emerald-cut diamond flanked by two baguette-cut side stones. Similarly, Jackie Kennedy received a 40-carat Lesotho III diamond ring from Aristotle Onassis in 1968. The ring, designed by Harry Winston, was sold at an auction in 1996 for $2.6 million and is now estimated to be worth around $22 million.
More recently, in 2021, Travis Barker proposed to Kourtney Kardashian with a stunning oval-shaped diamond with a pavé band. The colossal stone, weighing between 10 and 12 carats, is estimated to be worth up to $1 million. In 2019, Katy Perry received a floral-inspired engagement ring from Orlando Bloom that experts estimate could be worth up to $5 million. Lastly, Hailey Bieber's engagement ring from Justin Bieber is a super sparkly oval-cut diamond weighing somewhere between 6 and 10 carats and is valued at $500,000.
Serena Williams' Wedding Ring: A Massive Sparkler
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The most expensive wedding ring diamond in the world is the Pink Star diamond, which was purchased by Chow Tai Fook, a Hong Kong-based jewellery company, for $71.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in 2017.
The Pink Star diamond is a 59.60-carat oval-shaped, fancy vivid pink, and rare Type IIa diamond. Type IIa diamonds are a rare category of diamonds with no measurable impurities. In 2016, the GIA graded it as the largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond in the world. Less than one per cent of the world’s diamonds are classified as fancy colour, and only a handful of them are pink.
The most expensive celebrity engagement ring is the one given to Grace Kelly by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956. The ring is now worth $44.3 million, though the prince paid $4 million for it at the time.
The most expensive non-celebrity engagement ring sold at Sotheby's is the Eternal Pink Diamond Ring, which sold for $34,804,500 in June 2023.
