The most amazing gems of the world

1. The diamond Koh-I-Noor (Koh-I-Noor) British crown

Koh-I-Noor - a 106-carat diamond that was once the largest diamond in the world. Previously, he belonged to the rulers in India, and today - the British royal family and decorate the British crown.

When a diamond is the Koh-i-Noor fell into the hands of the British royal family, it weighed 186 carats (37 grams). Prince Albert long sought cutter with an impeccable reputation, and eventually opted for the Dutch masters, a certain Mr. Cantor, who took up this difficult task. Eventually, the diamond was presented to Queen Victoria.

Diamond was one of the British crown jewelry that the Queen Mother was last worn during the coronation.

2. "Millennium" - carved sapphire the size of a football

Sapphire "Millennium", the size of a soccer ball - a jewel c portraits of famous historical figures, which are now on sale for $ 180 million. I promise that this 61,500-carat miracle will be put in place, where everyone can see it.

Designed by the Italian artist Alessio en Bosch (Alessio Boschi), Sapphire "Millennium" dedicated to the 134 recognized geniuses, including Beethoven, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King.

Owner of Sapphire, "Millennium" is a consortium of investors led by Daniel McKinney (Daniel McKinney). Over the last 15 years, Sapphire has been on display only twice: in 2002 for an award ceremony "Oscar" and two years later, on the occasion of the first flight of the cruise ship "Sapphire Princess". 28-inch sapphire was discovered in Madagascar in 1995. Initially, he weighed about 90 000 carats and have lost about a third of its weight during the treatment, which lasted two years and was completed in 2000.

3. "Don Pedro" - the world's largest aquamarine

The world's largest faceted aquamarine is stored in Washington near the Hope Diamond and Marie Antoinette earrings.

Extracted from Brazilian pegmatites in the 1980s, this crystal is named after the first two Brazilian emperors. It is stored in the National Museum of Natural History, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

"Dom Pedro" - blue-green gem-shaped obelisk, which is designed famous German jeweler Berndot Myunsteynerom (Bernd Munsteiner), known as the "father carving" is 35, 5 cm tall and weighs 10,363 carats or 2 kg.

4. The world's largest pearl of

November 21, 2010 the largest pearl in the world was shown in Wenchang in Hainan Province (South China). Pearl is the largest ever detected and is estimated at two billion yuan (301.197 million dollars), China's pearl is more valuable than diamonds. Pearl weighs six tons, and the diameter reaches 1, 6 meters.

The stone consists mainly of minerals - fluorite which glows green in the dark. Processing pearls and giving it a spherical shape took three years.

5. "Graff Pink" - the most expensive pink diamond in the world

Laurence Graff is a seller of diamonds and precious stones number one in the world, and in 2010 he was able to confirm its status as the purchase of 24, 78-carat pink diamond. Laurence Graff is also the richest man alive British buyers of works of art. He spent 24, 1 million dollars, bought in New York, the two best works of Warhol: "Elvis" and "Campbell Soup". Laurence Graff owns five luxury homes in the UK, France, Switzerland and New York, as well as private yacht in the Mediterranean. He owns a diamond mine in the suburbs of Johannesburg, and several houses in Mayfair (one of the areas of London).

Amazing pink diamond set a new record price at Sotheby's. During the bidding has been such a stir, of the United Kingdom have not seen before. Rates soared. 36th of the richest people in the UK and "Diamond eccentric" eventually paid 29 million pounds (about 45 million dollars.) -. This is the largest amount ever paid for a jewel.

6. "Ethereal Carolina Divine" - the largest of the faceted tourmaline Paraiba

The Montreal financier Vincent Boucher (Vincent Boucher) is the owner of tourmaline "Ethereal Carolina Divine" weighing about 192 carats, which is estimated at between $ 25 million. 125 million. Dollars. This stone has set a new world record as the largest faceted tourmaline from Paraiba.

Paraiba tourmaline from is one of the rarest gems in the world, for which he is appreciated and the best collectors and jewelers all over the world. Typically, in Paraiba (the name of the Brazilian region where the found the vast majority of tourmaline, including the one which belongs to Bush) mined tourmaline 1 for every 10,000 diamonds. Bush also said that a total of only 50 kg this gem have been found to date.

7. A massive 478-carat uncut diamond

The massive 478-carat diamond was found in the mine Letseng in Lesotho, a small kingdom in South Africa. It is the 20th largest ever found rough diamonds. He was found in the mine, in which three of the largest diamond in the world have already been found: 603-carat "Lesotho Promise", 493-carat "Heritage Letenga" and the 601-carat "Lesotho Brown". A similar, but smaller uncut stone was recently estimated at 12 million. Dollars. It is hoped that this diamond can produce 150-carat faceted gem, thus eclipsing the current largest faceted diamond Koh-I-Noor.

8. The jewel sold at auction for the highest price in terms of carats

Flawless blue diamond, recognized as one of the most unique gems, became famous in 2007 as the most expensive gemstone in the world. 6, 04-carat diamond was sold for 7, 98 million. Dollars at Sotheby's in Hong Kong. Flawless blue diamond worth 1, 32 million. Dollars per carat.

The buyer was Moussaeff Dzhevelers (Moussaieff Jewelers) from London, who was glad to purchase this diamond from a private Asian collector for his collection of rare gems. Blue diamonds are famous for a rare combination of dark color and shine. Although it is not the large rock, but his cut and "bright blue" color justify the higher price per carat, which is almost ten times the price of ordinary white diamonds.

9

emerald "Bahia" the world's largest

Emerald Bay is one of the largest emeralds. This stone is in the 1, 9 million. Carats was found in the state of Bahia in Brazil. He narrowly escaped flooding during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when stored in a warehouse in New Orleans. In September 2008 it was reported that it was stolen from a protected storage in Sauce El Monte, Los Angeles, California. Estimated value of the stone was about 400 million. Dollars, and its exact cost is unknown. At one time the emerald was put up for sale on eBay with a note "Buy Now" for 75 mln. Dollars. After the stone was brought from Brazil to the United States, there were many unsuccessful attempts to sell it, inflamed disputes about the ownership of it. After all, this emerald was seized from a dealer in precious stones in Las Vegas and made available to the Department of the Los Angeles Sheriff.

10. "Moussaeff" - the most famous red diamond

Once known as a diamond "Red Shield", "Moussaeff Red" is the largest red diamond in the world and has a mass of 5, 11 carats. Found in Brazil in the 1990s, this diamond has a triangular brilliant cut (also known as faceting trilliantnuyu). The last time the general public could admire the stone in 2003 at the exhibition "Splendor of Diamonds" at the Smithsonian Institution