Necklaces have existed for thousands of years. Once woven using shells and plants, with the development of cultures and societies, they transformed into exquisite works of jewelry art, becoming a symbol of wealth and status. Below we present to you the five most expensive necklaces in the world today, created in the workshops of luxury jewelry brands and sold at auctions for millions of dollars.
5. “Creation I” – 33.7 million dollars
The fifth most expensive necklace in the world is Creation I, a sensational diamond and emerald necklace by De Grisogono. Its central element is a 163.41-carat emerald-cut diamond. DiamondDe Grisogono is the largest and most expensive flawless diamond in the world with D color clarity. It crowns the asymmetrical line of the diamond-emerald base of the necklace, which – not counting the central diamond! – contains 6,000 emeralds and 200 carats of diamonds.
4. “The Unmatched Diamond Necklace” – 55 million dollars
The fourth most expensive necklace in the world is the Incomparable Diamond Necklace. It contains a record-breaking 407.48-carat fancy deep yellow diamond. In addition to the central diamond, the necklace features 2 radiant-cut diamonds, 3 Asscher-cut diamonds, 4 oval diamonds, 5 cushion-cut diamonds, 5 emerald-cut diamonds, 9 heart-shaped diamonds, 27 pear-shaped diamonds, and 35 round diamonds. In total, the necklace weighs 637 carats. Many of the diamonds are set in 18-carat pink gold. This extraordinary yellow diamond was discovered by a little girl in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on a pile of rubble!
3. Necklace “Nizam of Hyderabad” – $83 million
The third most expensive necklace in the world is the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace, the most expensive piece in the jewelry collection of the late Queen of England, Elizabeth II. The monarch received the diamond necklace as a gift from the ruler of Hyderabad, Nizam Asaf Jah VII, in 1947, at that time the richest man in the world. During the official visit of the monarch, Nizam Jah allowed Elizabeth to choose any type of jewelry from his Cartier collection.The queen chose a very original, floral necklace, containing over fifty diamonds – including 13 emerald-cut diamonds, with a central pear-shaped diamond. The precious necklace was immortalized on the Bahamian dollar banknote, where it adorns the queen’s neck.
2. “Blooming Heritage” – 200 million dollars
The second most expensive necklace in the world is A Heritage in Bloom, designed by Wallace Chan. This exquisite diamond jewelry contains 11,551 diamonds with a total weight of 383.40 carats, of which 24 diamonds are graded by GIA as flawless D-color stones, including a 104-carat central diamond. The necklace is a true work of art. Its design draws inspiration from Chinese culture and includes numerous symbolic figures, such as bats and butterflies, carefully carved from precious metals and gemstones. The necklace contains 72 white jadeites, 114 green jadeites, 600 pink diamonds, and 19 top-quality colorless diamonds.The total weight of all the gemstones amounts to as much as half a kilogram! Creating the spectacular necklace took over 47,000 hours, and its modular design allows the necklace to be styled in 27 unique ways.
1. “Hope Diamond” – 350 million USD
The most expensive necklace in the world is The Hope Diamond, valued at 350 million dollars. The necklace contains a dark grayish-blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats, which was first mined in Golconda, India in 1673.
The Hope Diamond changed owners many times. It belonged to both King Louis XIV and King Louis XV, and was also worn by Marie Antoinette. In 1792, it disappeared under mysterious circumstances, only to unexpectedly appear in 1830 at an auction in London. There, it was purchased by Sir Henry Philip Hope, one of the heirs of the Hope & Co banking empire, from whose name the jewel gained its name, ‘The Hope Diamond’.After Sir Henry’s death, the diamond changed owners several more times before coming into the possession of Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean. She had the Hope placed in the central position of a necklace consisting of three layers of large white diamonds. In 1958, the necklace was acquired by Harry Winston, who in his will bequeathed the historic diamond of the Washington jewelry collection to the Smithsonian Institution, where it is one of the most popular attractions.