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Gemstones are coveted and expensive items. They were once claimed to hold mysterious powers, but now they are primarily used in making jewelry and accessories. The wealthy see gemstones as an investment since they have low risk while their value increases per carat as time goes on. People willingly shower millions of dollars to possess a rare gem. At the same time, they may differ in clarity and color. Each of them has certain properties that make them infinitely worthy of a purchase.

Fine arts companies such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction off the rarest of these jewels around the globe as bidders take part in a tough competition to get a hold of these sought-after gemstones. Bidders from all countries show their reputation and grandiose with these stunning purchases. Here are the eight most expensive stones ever sold.

Sweet Josephine ($28.5 million)

Joseph Lau is a billionaire businessman who bought a ring at an auction in Geneva in 2015 for $28.5 million and named it after his seven-year-old daughter Josephine. The diamond on it is extremely rare, and only two of these diamonds were sold in the last 250 years at the time. As mentioned by The Court Jeweler, it is a gorgeous cushion-shaped pink diamond that weighs 16.08 carats and is located within a diamond-set hoop in platinum and gold.

The Sunrise Ruby Ring ($30.3 million)

The Sunrise Ruby Ring holds one of the most expensive rubies in the world. It was sold for $30.3 million at the 2015 Sotheby Auction in Geneva. The center gemstone of the ring is a 25.59-carat ruby mined in Myanmar. The ruby has a certified shade of pigeon blood with finely proportioned shape and cuts. The ruby is perched on a Cartier alongside two shield-shaped diamonds weighing 2.47 and 2.70 carats, respectively.

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The Orange ($35.5 million)

Bought by an undisclosed bidder for $35.5 million, the Orange diamond was sold by Christie’s in Geneva in November 2013. It is called ‘The Orange’, and is three times bigger than the previously well-known large orange diamonds, as noted by Forbes. The presence of nitrogen during the diamond’s creation gave it a pure orange color. It was estimated to be sold for $21 million when it shattered all predictions and became the most expensive stone at the time.

The Graff Pink ($46.15 million)

This pink diamond was a part of Harry Winston’s private collection and was auctioned off in Geneva at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels Sale. It was bought by Laurence Graff for a little over $46 million and is considered to be one of the most expensive gems ever sold at an auction. The diamond weighed 27.78 carats, and Graff re-cut the diamond, so its color changed from intense pink to vivid pink, which improved the stone's clarity.

Blue Moon Of Josephine ($48.4 million)

Hong Kong billionaire Joseph Lau had purchased two diamonds at the Sotheby’s Auction in 2015, Sweet Josephine and Blue Moon of Josephine, both named after his daughter. This diamond cost significantly more than the former, with a price tag of $48.4 million. According to The Things, the blue diamond weighs 12.03 carats and is cushion-shaped. Lau broke his record of the most expensive purchase when he bought this blue diamond.

Winston Pink Legacy ($50.66 million)

The diamond was first mined in South Africa in 1918, and it went on the Christie’s Auction list a century later in 2018. The diamond was bought by Harry Winston Inc. for $50 million where the gem was renamed Winston Pink Legacy by Chief Executive Nayla Hayek. The diamond attracted a lot of attention since it contained a color saturation only seen in one out of a million diamonds.

Oppenheimer Blue ($57.5 million)

In 2016, Christie’s Geneva Auction sold the fancy vivid blue 14.62-carat diamond, which was perched against two smaller diamonds on a platinum band for a little over $57 million. The bidding took place over the phone with a 20-minute war before it was sold. The diamond was named after the previous owner Sir Phillip Oppenheimer who ran the De Beers group, as stated by Christie’s. It is still the most expensive diamond to be ever sold at a Christie’s Auction.

The Pink Star ($72 million)

The De Beers Group cut the diamond from a stone mined in 1999 for over 20 months. It was displayed in 2003, after which it was shifted to the National History Museum in 2005. The jewel first came for Sotheby’s auction in 2013 and again in 2017. In 2017, the 59.60-carat vivid pink diamond was sold for a whopping $72 million to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, where it was renamed the CTF Pink Star Diamond to honor the company’s owner.

From pink diamonds in different hues to the most colorful shade of Orange to a majestic blue diamond in the world, these gemstones possess the power to make people dig deep into their pockets and participate in the most challenging bids. The intoxicating nature of these coveted gemstones makes people go the extra mile to own them.

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Source: Forbes, The Things, Christie’s