The Most Expensive Jewelry Of Extravagant Celebrities

From the yesteryears to the present, Hollywood celebrities and movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Nicole Kidman, Grace Kelly, and others have graced the red carpet wearing the most expensive jewelry that some would say cost a fortune. Celebrities wear the most expensive jewelry which makes them the center of attraction on the red carpet and at major events, such as the Academy Awards. They are a part of the glitz and the glam that comes with the status of being a celebrated artist in their field of work. Some celebrities are known to own the most expensive jewelry in the world, some pieces also being exclusive and rare collectibles.

In this blog, we take you through some of the most expensive jewelry worn by celebrities that have made a lasting impression. We also take you through the most expensive jewelry created and speak of the stars of the past and the modern-day celebrities, who own their expensive jewelry looks.

TABLE OF CONTENT

• The Taylor-Burton Diamond
• The Krupp Diamond
• The Graff Diamond
• The Hope Diamond
• The CTF Pink Star Diamond
• The Peacock Brooch
• L’Incomparable Diamond Necklace
• The Winston Blue Diamond
• The Hutton-Mdivani Jadeite Beads Necklace
• The Moon of Baroda Diamond

The Taylor-Burton Diamond

Richard Burton, a formidable Welsh actor of the yesteryears, bought the 68-carat, pear-shaped diamond from Cartier for a princely sum of $1.1 million. He promptly gifted it to his movie star wife, Elizabeth Taylor. The Taylor-Burton solitaire made a dazzling public appearance when Liz wore the necklace while presenting the ‘Best Picture award at the 1970 Academy Awards. Burton had a lifelong obsession of buying some of the most expensive jewelry and made several gifts to Taylor, in the course of their two marriages. The sheer size and bling value of Taylor’s celebrity jewelry made it a showstopper then! Even recently, Gigi Hadid wore a $12 million, 118 carat diamond necklace from Jacob & Co. at the 2021 MET Gala.

The Krupp Diamond

The Krupp diamond is an exquisite 33.19 carats Asscher-cut Type IIa diamond. To put it into perspective, only 1% of diamonds in the world fall in this category. It was once the prized possession of Vera Krupp, the famed German actress and rancher, until it was purchased by Richard Burton, who gifted the Krupp diamond to his then-wife, Elizabeth Taylor, who had it set into a platinum ring. Like we mentioned earlier Burton loved getting his wife some of the most expensive jewelry pieces. This diamond ring remained her favorite piece of jewelry till she passed away in 2011. The majestic Krupp diamond compares to the stately Tiffany Yellow Diamond, a 128.54 carat Type IIa diamond valued at $30 million. $30 million! Talk about it being one of the most expensive jewelry pieces!

Audrey Hepburn showcased this diamond when promoting 'Breakfast at Tiffany's, and more recently, Lady Gaga wore it to the 2019 Academy Awards. Even more recently, Tiffany and Co.'s 'About Love' campaign featured Jay Z and Queen Bey wearing the iconic diamond for the first time in an ad campaign.

The Graff Diamond

A master gemologist, Harry Winston, has been given the moniker, ‘The King of Diamonds, ’ which aptly summarizes his lifelong pursuit as a collector of the iconic gemstones. Winston has four famous gemstones to his credit: the Stotesbury Emerald, the Baldwin Ruby, The Hope Diamond, and the Graff Diamond. Harry Winston’s iconic pieces become celebrity jewelry, modeled by the stars on the red carpet. The Graff pink diamond is a legendary 24.78 carat, vivid pink diamond, now owned by the ‘King of Bling’ Laurence Graff. Colored diamonds are a rarity, with one of every 10,000 carats being beyond the ‘Z’ color spectrum.

These gems are available in various hues, the most common being yellow, brown, pink, blue, green, purple, and orange, with red being the most uncommon. The colors are graded in quality as Vivid, Intense, Fancy, and Light in descending order. The Graff pink is a Fancy Vivid Pink diamond, never before worn on the red carpet. However, Zendaya did showcase Bvlgari’s 183.33 carat, Fancy Yellow diamond necklace at the 2021 Oscars red carpet, celebrity jewelry can also set off trends. A colorless diamond is expensive, yet the colored diamonds have a fan following to rival the stars too!

The Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond is a legendary 45.52 carat, Fancy Intense blue diamond that is said to bring ruin to anyone who owns it. This celebrity jewelry has been owned by King Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, Eve McLean, and others. The mythical 'Heart of the Ocean' necklace worn by Kate Winslet in the movie 'Titanic' also had a similar hued solitaire. If the make-believe necklace is to be created with the Hope Diamond, the asking price would exceed that of even the Kohinoor or the Cullinan diamond !

The CTF Pink Star Diamond

Mined by DeBeers in 1999, this internally flawless diamond measures 132.5 carats as a rough cabochon, a gemstone that is polished but not faceted. It has been cut to a 59.60 carat, Vivid pink diamond. Although it has never been a part of celebrity jewelry, this diamond makes the cut for being the most expensive jewelry, if ever set.  Rare and a treat by Mother Nature, the CTF Pink Star solitaire was on the block at Sotheby’s auction in 2017 at a price that broke all records for the highest price paid for the most expensive jewelry sold, until then, in Asia.

A true connoisseur’s gem, the CTF Pink makes a strong case for the value and desire to own a colored gemstone, especially for celebrities and high-net-worth tycoons. Talking about celebrity jewelry, JLo received an engagement ring from Ben Affleck with an 8.5-carat green solitaire, designed by Rahaminov Diamonds.

The Peacock Brooch

When it comes to celebrity jewelry, bigger does indeed mean better. Like Harry Winston, the King of Bling, Laurence Graff, an English jeweler and billionaire businessman, does not do anything in half measure. Graff designed and created his masterpiece in 2013, the Peacock brooch, which boasts of a 20.02 ct pear-shaped, Fancy Deep Blue diamond. Tagged as the world's most expensive brooch in the world, the Graff Peacock brooch features a staggering 1,305 diamonds totaling 120.81 ct of pure adamantine sparkle, ranking it among expensive jewelry.

The use of animal motifs by master jewelers is emblematic of having attained the zenith of craftsmanship and artistry over one's art. Like Graff, many designers have chosen an animal as their signature totem, with entire collections, like Chopard, having the panther motif. Celebrity jewelry makes for great newsprint and in 2019, Charlize Theron appeared at the Oscars, wearing a double wrap diamond bracelet and necklace from Bvlgari's Serpenti collection that featured snake motifs.

L’Incomparable Diamond Necklace

Master jeweler, Mouawad, handcrafted this piece of jewelry to look like branches of a vine in 18kt yellow gold. The necklace features 229.52 carats of diamonds of various cuts, as well as a 407.48-carat Fancy Intense yellow diamond pendant. The price of this artistically brilliant piece is $55 million, the kaleidoscope of colors making it bright, scintillating and, indeed, a rare find. Julia Roberts wore a piece from Chopard's Red Carpet collection at Cannes 2022, with the stunning necklace featuring a Fancy Vivid yellow diamond of over 100 carats. When you compare this gorgeous piece of celebrity jewelry to the L'incomparable necklace, the difference between an Intense yellow hue and Vivid yellow is enough to impact the price of the diamond by over 200% !

The Winston Blue Diamond

The most incredible gem of its quality, the Winston Blue features a flawless, Fancy, Vivid-blue 13.22-carat diamond, credited as being the largest ever assessed by the GIA. Set in a platinum ring, the Winston Blue is flanked by a halo of nearly colorless, white diamonds. An interesting fact would be that the color of the Winston Blue can vie with the most scintillating colors of the best Sinhalese sapphires. At the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, Anne Hathaway wore a stunning necklace by Bvlgari, set in platinum, with a 107.15-carat cushion cut sapphire from Sri Lanka. With a refractive index of 2.42, the fire and brilliance of the diamond are incomparable to the sapphire, whose refractive index is diminutive at 1.77.

The Hutton-Mdivani Jadeite Beads Necklace

The necklace is a beautiful piece of art, made with 27 jadeite beads from the same jadeite boulder, held together by an intricate ruby and diamond-studded clasp. Priced at $ 27.4 million at a 2014 auction, this necklace is presently owned by Cartier. The previous owner, Barbara Hutton of Woolworth fame, was gifted this necklace at her nuptials to Alexis Mdivani by her father. It is fabled that the gift of jade or jade articles to a newly married couple ensures marital bliss and progeny, making it a popular custom in the Far East.

Yet, when it comes to new beginnings, celebrities swear by the sheer bling value of their diamonds as they step out in style. Take Nicole Kidman, for example. To promote the movie 'Being The Ricardos' at the Oscars, she wore Harry Winston’s 33.42 carat Eagle Diamond necklace.

The Moon of Baroda Diamond

A 24.04 carat, fancy yellow precious stone, this solitaire was purchased by Meyer Rosenbaum of Detroit’s Meyer Jewelry Company in 1953. This gem is from India and has been worn by royalty, including the Gaekwads of Baroda and the Empress of Austria. Rosenbaum gifted this gem to Marilyn Monroe in 1953 for her promotional appearances. The iconic movie star, Marilyn Monroe wore this gem on a leather cord for the shoot and the promotions of the magnum opus, ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.’ The gemstone is now in America. The sparkle of a solitaire makes for the perfect accessory for a night out on the town, painting the town red, or walking the red carpet. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, and our movie stars sure know how to flaunt them!