Diamonds have got to be the most interesting gemstones out there. With their highly desirable visual traits as well as maximal hardness, these things can capture the attention of just about everyone in the room. Colored diamonds are an oddity, and few more so than yellow-colored ones. Some of the most famous ones in history have been sold for quite a fortune; below are a few of them that you probably want to know about.
The Allnatt Diamond
Totally unlike cheap wholesale diamonds, named after the first person to own it (Ernest Allnatt), this diamond possesses a fancy yellow color capable of beautifully capturing and emitting light. Weighing a massive 101.29 carats (close to 20 g), and with a clarity grade of VS2, this diamond is one of the most unique ones the world has ever seen. Not just the magnificence draws admirers, but also the air of mystique stemming from the fact that no one knows where it originated.
The Allnatt diamond was once set up for viewing at the Splendor of Diamonds exhibition and rated on the same level as the Heart of Eternity, the Millennium Star, and the Steinmetz Pink. This large and elegant stone was sold for a mind-numbing $3 million at a Christie’s auction held in 1996. The SIBA corporation owns it these days, and it’s worth has no doubt climbed up in the past decades.
Mouna Diamond
Completely unlike discount loose diamonds, the Mouna is supposed to be the largest of its type ever graded by the GIA. Its previous owner Mouna Ayoub is also its namesake. A beautiful woman with a penchant for all things luxurious, thanks to the wealth of her husband (a Saudi Arabian businessman), Mouna Ayoub possessed a jewelry collection fit to make any woman swoon. Among the set she owned was the 112.53-carat Mouna Diamond, cut in the cushion shape and measuring 26mm.
The fancy yellow aspect shines through brightly when this stone is illuminated, and the size of the thing just does not let you miss it in any room. The Mouna Diamond was sold at a Genevan auction in 1998 for a staggering $3.258 million, although most estimates today point to a much higher current worth.
Tiffany Diamond
This diamond not only has a long history associated with it, but also the fact that only two women ever wore it in public since the time it was first seen on the global diamond scene. Mrs. Sheldon White sported it in 1957 when she attended the Tiffany Ball held at Rhode Island, and then after that, Audrey Hepburn posed wearing it for a photo shoot in 1961, for the widely known “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.
After that, this diamond was featured in a Smithsonian display, and largely been kept out of the public spotlight since. Charles Tiffany was the stone’s first buyer, but it is not known whether the thing was ever sold after that, let alone to whom. Its current value stands somewhere around $12 million.
Sun-Drop Diamond
This is the largest yellow diamond in the world that is cut in the pear shape, and also the most expensive among its type since 2011. Its weight measures to 110.03 carat, which is 9 carats more than what the Allnatt weighs. The former is also worth three times what the latter could go for on the market. In the rough, this stone was first found in South Africa back in 2010, and its cutting and polishing were given over to New York-based Cora International.
The gigantic rough stone was finished into the perfect pear shape, the latter being one of the reasons this stone costs so much at auction. It was sold at a world record price of $11.28 million, and that made it the most expensive yellow diamond ever sold after 2011. The buyer managed to hold on to their anonymous status, and the stone was rarely seen by the public after that.
The Graff Vivid Yellow
This is presently the largest of yellow diamonds ever cut and shaped around the globe, and likely also the most expensive. The name derives from its commissioner, Laurence Graff. The cutting this stone underwent is also the work of master diamond cutter Nino Bianco, who is based in New York. Bianco designed this stone into a flawless and stylish cushion shape, which contributed in huge part to its elegance and desirability.
The uncut version weighed 190 carats, which translates to more than 40 gr. However, the cutting process reduced the weight to 100.09 carats, although the new form apparently looks worlds better. The vivid yellow shade shines through brightly when there is illumination, although very few people have been lucky enough to enjoy that spectacular beauty. The Graff Vivid Yellow diamond fetched $16.3 million at a Genevan auction in 2014, but despite the record sell, it still fell short of the estimated $21 million.