A number of large or extraordinarily colored diamonds have gained fame, both as exquisite examples of the beautiful nature of diamonds, and because of the famous people who wore, bought, and sold them. These diamonds are often depicted in marketing materials aimed at the retail diamond customer. A partial list of famous diamonds in history follows.
The Allnatt Diamond, a large antique cushion-shaped brilliant Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond
The Agra Diamond, antique cushion-shaped stellar brilliant, 28 carats
The Amsterdam Diamond, a 33.74 carat (6.748 g) black diamond which sold for $352,000 in 2001
The Archduke Joseph Diamond, antique cushion-shaped brilliant, 76 carats
The Ashberg Diamond
The Aurora Butterfly of Peace
The Aurora Pyramid of Hope
The Beau Sancy, a 34-carat diamond not to be confused with the Sancy.
The Blue Heart Diamond, 30.82-carat heart brilliant
The Briolette of India Diamond, 90 carats
The Centenary Diamond, the world’s largest colorless (grade D), flawless diamond
The Chloe Diamond, the largest top-quality, brilliant-cut white diamond ever to appear at auction, bought for just under $16.2 million and named by Georges Marciano, founder of Guess Jeans.
The Cullinan Diamond, the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found at 3106.75 carats (621.35 g). It was cut into 105 diamonds including the Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, 530.2 carats (106.04 g), and the Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, 317.4 carats (63.48 g), both of which are now part of the British Crown Jewels.
The Darya-ye Noor Diamond, the largest pink diamond in the world, about 186 carats (36.4 g), part of Iranian Crown Jewels. Its exact weight isn’t known and 186 carats is an estimate.
The Deepdene, widely considered to be the largest artificially irradiated diamond in the world.
The De Young Red Diamond, the third-largest known red diamond was bought in a flea market on a hatpin by Sidney deYoung a prominent Boston estate jewelry merchant. It was donated by him to the museum of natural history.
The Dresden Green Diamond, antique pear-shaped brilliant – its color is the result of natural irradiation
The Dresden White Diamond, 47-carat antique oval brilliant, colorless/near-colorless
The Dresden Yellow Diamond
The Dudley Diamond also known as the Star of South Africa. This must not be confused with the Star of Africa. The Star of South Africa was the initial name given to this diamond, when it was purchased as an 83.5-carat rough diamond. The diamond is a D-color, pear shaped, three-sided stellar brilliant cut stone, weighing 47.69 carats.
The Earth Star Diamond a 111.59-carat, pear-shaped diamond with a strong coffee-like brown color.
The Empress Eugenie Diamond, 52-carat antique pear-shaped brilliant with an odd, random facet pattern
The Excelsior Diamond, the largest known diamond in the world prior to the Cullinan
The Florentine Diamond, a lost diamond, light yellow with a weight of 137.27 carats (27.45 g).
The Golden Jubilee Diamond, the largest faceted diamond ever cut at 545.67 carats (109.13 g)
The Graff Blue Diamond
The Great Chrysanthemum Diamond
The Great Mogul Diamond
The Gruosi Diamond
The Heart of Eternity Diamond, perhaps the largest Fancy Vivid Blue
The Hope Diamond, Fancy Dark Grayish-Blue and supposedly cursed. Almost certainly cut from the French Blue Diamond
The Hortensia Diamond
The Idol’s Eye
The Incomparable Diamond, a golden diamond of 407.48 carats (81.496 g) cut from an 890 carat (178 g) rough diamond of the same name – it appeared on eBay in 2002
The Jacob Diamond weighing 184.5 carats (36.90 g), also known as Imperial Diamond & Victoria Diamond.
The Jones Diamond
The Jubilee Diamond, originally known as the Reitz Diamond; perhaps the sixth-largest in the world.
The Kimberley Diamond
The Koh-i-Noor, a 105 carat (21.6 g) white of Indian origin, with a long and turbulent history and a good deal of legend surrounding it. After belonging to various Mughal and Persian rulers, it was taken away from the Maharaja Duleep singh of Lahore and was presented to Queen Victoria during the British occupation of India, and is now part of the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
The Lesotho Promise, is the 15th-largest diamond, the tenth-largest white diamond, and the largest diamond to be found in 13 years
The Millennium Star, at 203 carats is the second-largest colorless (grade D), flawless diamond.
Pumpkin Diamond
Koh-i-Noor (glass replica)
The Moon of Baroda
The Moussaieff Red Diamond, the largest known Fancy Vivid Red
The Mouna Diamond
The Nassak Diamond
The Nepal Diamond
The Nizam Diamond
The Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond
The Ocean Dream Diamond, the only known natural Fancy Deep Blue-Green
The Oppenheimer Diamond, one of the largest uncut diamonds in the world
The Orlov, an Indian rose cut rumored to have served as the eye of a Hindu statue
The Paragon Diamond
The Porter Rhodes Diamond, a colorless 53-carat Asscher-cut stone
The Portuguese Diamond
The Premier Rose Diamond, 137.02-carat (27.4 g) stone cut from a 353.9-carat (70.8 g) rough gem of the same name
The Pumpkin Diamond, perhaps the largest Fancy Vivid Orange
Pure Perfection, 84 carats, pure white. The largest brilliant-cut diamond ever put on auction. Sold on Nov. 14, 2007, at Sotheby’s in Geneva to Georges Marciano of the Guess clothing line for $16.2 million, the second-highest price ever paid for a diamond on auction. Took 2 years to cut.
The Red Cross Diamond
The Regent Diamond, formerly belonging to Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Napoleon Bonaparte, it now resides in the Louvre
The Sancy, a pale yellow diamond currently in the Louvre
The Shah Diamond, very old yellow diamond (found approximately in 1450 in India) currently housed in the Diamond Fund in Kremlin
The Spirit of de Grisogono Diamond, the world’s largest cut black diamond
The Spoonmaker’s Diamond, circa 86-carat (17 g) diamond housed in Topkapı Palace in Istanbul.
The Star of Arkansas
The Star of the East, a 95-carat (19 g) stone once owned by Mrs. Evalyn McLean of Washington DC, who also owned the Hope Diamond.
The Star of the South
The Steinmetz Pink Diamond, the largest known Fancy Vivid Pink
The Taylor-Burton Diamond
The Tiffany Yellow Diamond
The Uncle Sam Diamond, the largest discovered in the US
The Vargas
BPM 37093, AKA “Lucy”, a white dwarf star of solid diamond 50 light years from Earth