The most valuable diamond in the world is Koh-i-Noor, also spelled Koh-i-Nur and Kohinoor. The diamond is also called the Mountain of Light diamond, and it's known as one of the largest cut diamonds, weighing a whopping 105.6 carats. Koh-i-Noor is a colorless diamond and features an oval brilliant cut.
Red diamonds are the rarest and some of the most expensive in the world. Also known as Fancy Reds, they come in a variety of shades ranging from orange-red to brownish red. Majority of the world's red diamonds come from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia.
Red diamonds are the most expensive colored diamonds. Currently, only about 20 to 30 exist in the world. These diamonds derive their red shade during the mining formation. The process is uncommon, explaining why red diamonds are rare and extremely small in size.
Flawless is the top grade in the GIA Clarity Grading System. Diamonds graded Flawless don't have visible inclusions or blemishes when examined under 10-power (10X) magnification by a skilled and experienced grader.
1. ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND. By far the most popular cut is the Round Brilliant, with it's fifty-seven perfectly aligned facets it's brilliance really does out-shine the others. Total internal reflection is the key here; light travels through the stone giving optimum sparkle and scintillation.
Kohinoor is the most expensive diamond in the world. As per reports, the oval 109 carat diamond weighs 21.6 grams and is the main diamond of the British Crown. Its origin is traced back to India with Queen Elizabeth II being the current owner of the diamond.
Radiant are square or rectangular brilliant-cut diamonds with cut corners. They are often the most affordable diamond shapes.
Black diamonds are much more rare than colorless diamonds, which may come as a surprise if you're familiar with these diamonds' price points– black diamonds are much less expensive than colorless diamonds. Wondering why black diamonds are more affordable than colorless diamonds? It's simply an issue of demand.
Brown diamonds are generally the least expensive of natural fancy colors. As with colored stones in general, color is paramount for fancy colored diamond pricing. Other quality factors like clarity and cut do not affect prices as much as with colorless diamonds.
To group the colors based on prices the relatively affordable colored diamonds are grey, brown and fancy yellow. Going to mid ranging prices it can be an intense and vivid yellow diamonds and orange diamonds. A group higher in prices are pink, purple, violet, green and blue diamonds. Which are already very very rare!
The Golden Jubilee diamond
In 1997, the diamond was presented to the King of Thailand after it took specialists a few years to cut and polish. Today, the largest finished diamond is owned by the Royal Family of Thailand.
Carbonados, sometimes called "black diamonds," are a distinct and unusual polycrystalline diamond material.
Dubai is deemed as one of the cheapest places to buy diamonds and rightly so. There's a reason that it is regarded as one of the world's top three diamond trading centers—the other two being India and Belgium.
Round Cut Diamonds Sparkle The Most
The standard round cut diamond comprises 57 facets (58 including one on the bezel). This cut heightens the diamond's sparkle and shine. Because round diamonds have the largest number of facets, they create the most sparkle.
Round brilliant cut diamonds are easily the most expensive diamond shape. In part, that's because round is the most popular diamond shape. More than half of all the diamonds sold today are round diamonds. This incredible popularity means that diamond miners and retailers can charge more for such an in-demand shape.
Simulated diamonds are also known as diamond simulants and include things like cubic zirconia (CZ), moissanite, and YAG. They can also include some natural clear gemstones like white sapphire, white zircon or even clear quartz.
Red diamonds are the rarest of the colored diamonds, with only 20-30 existing in the entire world. They get their beautiful red color from a rare process during their formation, which changes the crystal structure of the diamond and causes light to pass through it differently than colorless diamonds.
De Beers S.A., South African company that is the world's largest producer and distributor of diamonds.
The diamond was bought by the Hong Kong billionaire, and fugitive convicted felon, Joseph Lau Luen-hung, who named it for his seven-year-old daughter, Josephine.
D color diamond is the highest grade and is extremely rare—the highest color grade that money can buy.
Most brilliant diamond alternative
If you want a diamond alternative but don't want to lose out on sparkle, moissanite will be your best bet. Moissanite has a refractive index from 2.65 – 2.69, which is higher than a diamond. These stones exhibit a fiery, rainbow brilliance, making for superior sparkle.