The 45 Most Gorgeous, Famous Gems of All Time
Photo: clockwise from top left: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images, Courtesy of Christie’s, LAurent Gillieron/EPA/Corbis, Gregory Pace/Sygma/Corbis, Chip Clark/Smithsonian Institution, Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images,
The 2013 Cannes Film Festival is inching closer to conclusion, and though the bevy of actresses, ex–Victoria’s Secret models, and even a mystery guest wearing a gown made out of biscuit trays courted attention, there were other sparkly things that had us magpie-eyed. Jewels and gems gleamed on the red carpet, dripping on virtually every female celebrity in attendance, and onscreen in films like The Great Gatsby and The Bling Ring. A Chopard jewel heist even went down.
To pay proper homage to the gorgeous bling, we’ve culled together a selection of the 45 most fabulous — or, at the very least, memorable — gems from history and pop culture. These include emeralds, rubies, and sapphires that Napoleon Bonaparte once attached to his epaulette, rocks from royal crown jewel collections, and the most salacious celebrity engagement rings from the Gigli-Bennifer days. Click through the slideshow to ogle some sparkly jewels that have attracted thieves, started wars, and maybe expedited a marriage’s plunge into divorce (we’re looking at you, Kim Kardashian).
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The Hortensia Diamond Named after the Queen of Holland (Napoleon's step-daughter), the rock glittered on Napoleon's epaulette braid fastening and...
The Hortensia Diamond Named after the Queen of Holland (Napoleon's step-daughter), the rock glittered on Napoleon's epaulette braid fastening and, later, on Empress Eugenie's diamond-encrusted comb. After the French Revolution, the diamond was snatched from the Garde Meuble and later found in a bag of treasures (that included additional French Crown Jewels) in the attic of an old house in Paris. According to lore, the man who stole the precious gems disclosed the secret location just before his execution. Today, it's held in the Louvre's Gallerie d'Apollon.
Photo: RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource
NY/Artres/RMN/Droits rÈservÈs
Koh-i-Noor Diamond The 105-carat jewel is currently housed in the Tower of London, glimmering atop the Queen Mother's 1937 coronation crown. It's...
Koh-i-Noor Diamond The 105-carat jewel is currently housed in the Tower of London, glimmering atop the Queen Mother's 1937 coronation crown. It's another gem with a rich history of getting plundered. Owned by a succession of sultans, warlords, and rulers, the rock ended up in the English Crown Jewels collection after the British conquered Punjab. Ever since Queen Victoria laid her hands on this diamond (and had it recut to better please her), only female members of the British royal families have worn it. Supposedly, it brings "great misfortune" to men who wear it.
Photo: Tim Graham/Tim Graham/Getty Images
The Taylor-Burton Diamond The diamond was more a husband's act of penance to his wife rather than an act of love. After Richard Burton called Eli...
The Taylor-Burton Diamond The diamond was more a husband's act of penance to his wife rather than an act of love. After Richard Burton called Elizabeth Taylor's hands "ugly," "manly," "large," and "masculine" during a dinnertime spat, the actress turned the situation to her benefit. She insisted that he purchase what was then considered "the largest and most expensive diamond in the world" for her so that her hands would appear smaller and less hideous. He followed through, bought the 69.42-carat diamond, and simply told reporters it was a gift for his wife.
Photo: Frank Edwards
The Hope Diamond The Hope is a diamond that's believed to be cursed, despite its positive moniker. Exhibit A: Evalyn Walsh McLean, one of its for...
The Hope Diamond The Hope is a diamond that's believed to be cursed, despite its positive moniker. Exhibit A: Evalyn Walsh McLean, one of its former owners, referred to the rock as her "lucky charm." Soon after acquiring it, though, McLean's son died in a car accident, her husband divorced her and died insane, and her daughter committed suicide. She herself became a moprhine addict. In 1959, the 45.52-carat rock was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. It was sent by regular mail.
Photo: Fred Ward/Corbis
The Cora Sun-Drop Diamond The Cora, at 110 carats, is the largest yellow pear-shaped diamond. It auctioned for $11 million in 2011, setting Sothe...
The Cora Sun-Drop Diamond The Cora, at 110 carats, is the largest yellow pear-shaped diamond. It auctioned for $11 million in 2011, setting Sotheby’s new record for a yellow diamond.
Photo: Anja Niedringhaus/Corbis
Kim Kardashian's "$75,000" Earring On a family vacation in Bora Bora, Kim Kardashian's then-fiancé, Kris Humphries, playfully to...
Kim Kardashian's "$75,000" Earring On a family vacation in Bora Bora, Kim Kardashian's then-fiancé, Kris Humphries, playfully tossed her into the clear blue water. She giggled for a second, until she reached over to her earlobe and found that one of her giant, "uninsured" diamond earrings was missing. Without even attempting to look for the diamond, she wept and cursed at Humphries in hysterics, screaming, “That was $75,000! We’re not going to fucking find it in the ocean. Seriously! I’m so fucking annoyed.” Her younger siblings, Kylie and Kendall, found it in the ocean that same day.
La Peregrina Pearl After passing from the hands of Spanish, French, and English kings and queens (Bloody Mary included), the pearl eventually wou...
La Peregrina Pearl After passing from the hands of Spanish, French, and English kings and queens (Bloody Mary included), the pearl eventually wound up perched prominently on the bosom of an American royal, Elizabeth Taylor, in 1969. Richard Burton purchased the pearl for her, even outbidding a prince. Taylor then misplaced La Peregrina in a Las Vegas hotel, only to find it in her dog's mouth.
Photo: AFP/2011 AFP
The Star of India The world's largest sapphire, allegedly around 2 billion years old, weighs 563-carats and is roughly the size of a golf ball. O...
The Star of India The world's largest sapphire, allegedly around 2 billion years old, weighs 563-carats and is roughly the size of a golf ball. On Halloween eve in 1964, it was stolen in a heist at the Museum of Natural History, only to be found a few days later in a Miami bus terminal locker. Today, it's safe in the American Museum of Natural History (with better security).
Photo: AMNH/C. Chesek
The Cullinan Diamond When it was discovered in South Africa, the Cullinan was the largest diamond ever found. It was cut into more than 100 small...
The Cullinan Diamond When it was discovered in South Africa, the Cullinan was the largest diamond ever found. It was cut into more than 100 smaller pieces, the nine largest of which belong to the British Royal Family. Pictured to the left is a brooch made out of Cullinan III and IV (obviously, they're numbered using roman numerals).
Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
The Taj Mahal Diamond Hanging from Elizabeth Taylor's neck here is the Taj Mahal, a heart-shaped, table-cut diamond that was another one of Burto...
The Taj Mahal Diamond Hanging from Elizabeth Taylor's neck here is the Taj Mahal, a heart-shaped, table-cut diamond that was another one of Burton's gifts to Taylor. To announce this opulent purchase, the couple held a press conference.
Photo: Gregory Pace/Corbis
Grace Kelly's Engagement Ring Prince Rainier III of Monaco upped his first engagement ring to Grace Kelly with a 10.5-carat emerald-cut diamond r...
Grace Kelly's Engagement Ring Prince Rainier III of Monaco upped his first engagement ring to Grace Kelly with a 10.5-carat emerald-cut diamond ring from Cartier with two baguettes. He had originally proposed to her with a Cartier eternity band, but when he saw that other women in Hollywood had bigger rocks on their fingers, he ordered a new ring, also from Cartier.
Photo: Bettmann/Corbis
The Duchess of Windsor's Panther Bracelet The onyx-and-diamond panther bracelet designed by Cartier formerly belonged to the Duchess of Windsor, ...
The Duchess of Windsor's Panther Bracelet The onyx-and-diamond panther bracelet designed by Cartier formerly belonged to the Duchess of Windsor, otherwise known as the American socialite Wallis Simpson. King Edward VIII left the British throne to wed the two-time divorcée and commissioned this item specifically in order to impress his new lady. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/Corbis
The Dresden Green Weighing in at 41 carats, the Dresden Green is the largest "naturally green" diamond to date. During World War I...
The Dresden Green Weighing in at 41 carats, the Dresden Green is the largest "naturally green" diamond to date. During World War II, this got locked away in Germany's Green Vaults (clearly for its protection) — only to get stolen by a stealthy Russian organization called the "Soviet Trophies Commission." The gem (and the other stolen jewels) were later returned to Dresden and, today, it resides once more in the Green Vaults.
Photo: Michael Freeman/Corbis
The Tsarevna Swan Ring The Guinness Book of World Records crowned the Ukraine-made swan ring with the title, "the most diamonds set in one r...
The Tsarevna Swan Ring The Guinness Book of World Records crowned the Ukraine-made swan ring with the title, "the most diamonds set in one ring wearable on the human finger." It includes 2,525 diamonds set on a 18-carat white gold ring.
Photo: Courtesy of Lobortas Classic Jewelry House of Kiev
Ukraine/
The Empress Eugenie Brooch Once intended to be a garish buckle (featuring over 2,600 diamonds) on an extravagant belt, this gem-dripping ribbon w...
The Empress Eugenie Brooch Once intended to be a garish buckle (featuring over 2,600 diamonds) on an extravagant belt, this gem-dripping ribbon was ultimately tunred into a brooch at Empress Eugenie's request. We gather the Empress felt odd with an ornate ribbon glimmering near her belly, or she just loved it so much, she wanted to pin it onto any one of her outfits, whether they required a belt or not. Allegedly, it was one of her favorite jewels. Today, it resides in the Louvre Museum.
Photo: Bloomberg/Getty Images
Queen Mary's Diamond Riviere Queen Mary gifted the necklace of 34 old-cut diamonds mounted in silver and gold to her granddaughter, Princess Marg...
Queen Mary's Diamond Riviere Queen Mary gifted the necklace of 34 old-cut diamonds mounted in silver and gold to her granddaughter, Princess Margaret. The necklace, estimated to be from 1900, was last sold at a Christie's auction in 2006 to an unnamed buyer.
Photo: Courtesy of Christie’s
The Graff Pink The 24-carat pink diamond was purchased by Laurence Graff in 2010 for more than $46 million. After purchasing it, Graff immediatel...
The Graff Pink The 24-carat pink diamond was purchased by Laurence Graff in 2010 for more than $46 million. After purchasing it, Graff immediately renamed it after himself.
Photo: Lefteris Pitarakis/Corbis
Princess Soraya's Engagement Ring The 22-carat diamond engagement ring belonged to Iranian Princess Soraya, which she received from the Shah of I...
Princess Soraya's Engagement Ring The 22-carat diamond engagement ring belonged to Iranian Princess Soraya, which she received from the Shah of Iran in 1950. After the princess passed away in 2002, all of her belongings were auctioned off in Paris.
Photo: REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/Corbis
The Tiffany Diamond In 1877, Tiffany & Co.'s iconic 128-carat yellow diamond was found in South Africa. It adorned Audrey Hepburn's neck whil...
The Tiffany Diamond In 1877, Tiffany & Co.'s iconic 128-carat yellow diamond was found in South Africa. It adorned Audrey Hepburn's neck while she was doing publicity photos for Breakfast at Tiffany's and, today, it’s on permanent display in the New York Fifth Avenue store.
Photo: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/2012 AFP
The Heart of Eternity The “fancy vivid blue” diamond from South Africa was once the target of an unsuccessful diamond heist at the Millenn...
The Heart of Eternity The “fancy vivid blue” diamond from South Africa was once the target of an unsuccessful diamond heist at the Millennium Dome in London that took place in 2000. Police were tipped off about the planned robbery for months and eleven men, who were all members of a criminal gang, were arrested.
Photo: GABRIEL BOUYS
Princess Diana's (Now Duchess Kate's) Sapphire Ring Princess Di picked out her 18-carat oval sapphire engagment ring surrounded with diamonds in ...
Princess Diana's (Now Duchess Kate's) Sapphire Ring Princess Di picked out her 18-carat oval sapphire engagment ring surrounded with diamonds in 1981. Her choice became legendary, because at the time, the ring cost $60,000, which meant that just about anyone with the money could purchase it. Haters called it "the commoner's sapphire" and turned up their noses at the fact that a royal would purchase something relatively plain. But the princess made the ring and rock iconic. Prince William slipped the same one on Kate Middleton's finger on the day of their engagement in 2010.
Photo: STR/Corbis
The Logan Sapphire Originally from Sri Lanka, this 423-carat violet blue sapphire is roughly the size of an egg. It belonged to a Washington, D.C...
The Logan Sapphire Originally from Sri Lanka, this 423-carat violet blue sapphire is roughly the size of an egg. It belonged to a Washington, D.C., socialite, Mrs. Polly Logan, who donated the stone to the Smithsonian’s collection in 1960.
Photo: Chip Clark/This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws.
Ziegfeld Pearl Necklaces In the spirit of Gatsby, Tiffany & Co. designed this new collection in April. The two chains are made entirely out o...
Ziegfeld Pearl Necklaces In the spirit of Gatsby, Tiffany & Co. designed this new collection in April. The two chains are made entirely out of freshwater pearls, with one featuring an Art Deco tassel with sterling silver. In the film, Daisy Buchanan rips the strands from her neck in tears when she receives a letter from Gatsby on her wedding day.
Photo: Tiffany & Co.
Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck's Emerald and Diamond Tiara The tiara is composed of eleven rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops,...
Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck's Emerald and Diamond Tiara The tiara is composed of eleven rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops, which are rumored to have belonged to Empress Eugenie. The tiara was commissioned around 1900 by a German prince for wife, Katharina, and was last sold at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva for $12.7 million.
Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images
Jennifer Lopez's Pink Engagement Ring In 2002, Ben Affleck showed the world how much he loved Jenny from the Block with a 6-carat pink engagement...
Jennifer Lopez's Pink Engagement Ring In 2002, Ben Affleck showed the world how much he loved Jenny from the Block with a 6-carat pink engagement ring. It created a colored-diamond craze. When Bennifer eventually split, media outlets speculated whether Lopez would return the rock to Affleck. (She eventually did.)
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
The Pearl of Allah A fourteen-pound pearl, thought to be the world’s largest, was first found in the Palawan Sea. According to history, it came f...
The Pearl of Allah A fourteen-pound pearl, thought to be the world’s largest, was first found in the Palawan Sea. According to history, it came from an enormous Tridacna clam that once clamped down a diver's arm and killed him. Because it's a clam pearl, it lacks iridescent sheen. Still, it was the subject of an ownership lawsuit that spanned three decades.
Photo: Andy Cross/Denver Post via Getty Images
The Krupp Diamond The Burton-Taylor diamond saga continues. Burton gifted the 33-carat diamond ring to Taylor in 1968. Allegedly, Princess Maraga...
The Krupp Diamond The Burton-Taylor diamond saga continues. Burton gifted the 33-carat diamond ring to Taylor in 1968. Allegedly, Princess Maragaret once called the ring "vulgar" at a wedding they both attended. That is, untill Taylor offered to let the Princess try on the ring herself.
Photo: Frank Trapper/Corbis
Camilla Parker Bowles's Engagement Ring Prince Charles went and gave her a Royal Family heirloom for her engagement ring: the diamond-and-platinu...
Camilla Parker Bowles's Engagement Ring Prince Charles went and gave her a Royal Family heirloom for her engagement ring: the diamond-and-platinum piece featuring three diamond baguettes on each side that originally belonged to the Queen Mother.
Photo: John Stillwell/Pool/Corbis
Cartier Halo Tiara The tiara, worn by Kate Middleton the day of the Royal Wedding, was lent to her by the Queen. Made in 1936, the tiara original...
Cartier Halo Tiara The tiara, worn by Kate Middleton the day of the Royal Wedding, was lent to her by the Queen. Made in 1936, the tiara originally belonged to the Queen Mother, who then passed it down to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.
Photo: BEN STANSALL/2011 AFP
Queen Marie of Romania’s Sapphire The 478-carat sapphire was purchased by King Ferdinand of Romania for Queen Marie in 1921. It was the largest s...
Queen Marie of Romania’s Sapphire The 478-carat sapphire was purchased by King Ferdinand of Romania for Queen Marie in 1921. It was the largest sapphire ever offered at Christie's auction and sold for nearly $1.5 million in 2003.
Photo: JIM WATSON/2003 AFP
Angelina Jolie's Engagement Ring According to Star magazine, Angelina Jolie found her rectangular, $500,000 ring specially designed by Bra...
Angelina Jolie's Engagement Ring According to Star magazine, Angelina Jolie found her rectangular, $500,000 ring specially designed by Brad Pitt too "tacky" to wear.
Photo: Howard Pasamanick/Corbis
The Archduke Joseph Diamond This cushion-cut diamond once set the world record at auction for a colorless diamond, and Celine Dion wore it around...
The Archduke Joseph Diamond This cushion-cut diamond once set the world record at auction for a colorless diamond, and Celine Dion wore it around her neck after it was fashioned into a necklace for a TV special.
Photo: LAURENT GILLIERON/Corbis
Le Beau Sancy Diamond Prior to spending 400 years in collections of Europe's royal families, this 35-carat rock was allegedly reclaimed from a de...
Le Beau Sancy Diamond Prior to spending 400 years in collections of Europe's royal families, this 35-carat rock was allegedly reclaimed from a dead man's stomach. According to legend, in the 1500s, a messenger swallowed it while he was being attacked by thieves. Still, the rock went on to glimmer in France, England, Prussia, and the Netherlands' royal family collections.
Photo: FRANCOIS GUILLOT/2012 AFP
Part of
The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. The glimmering headpiece that crowns Daisy Buchanan's blonde bob in The Great Gastby wa...
Part of
The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. The glimmering headpiece that crowns Daisy Buchanan's blonde bob in The Great Gastby was one of the special items Tiffany & Co. produced for the film. Called the Savoy, the Jazz Age tiara-of-sorts is also multi-use: The feather dotted with diamonds and freshwater cultured pearls is a detachable brooch.
Photo: Carlton Davis
The Regent Diamond According to lore, the 141-carat diamond was originally discovered by a slave in India who hid the stone in a leg wound for sa...
The Regent Diamond According to lore, the 141-carat diamond was originally discovered by a slave in India who hid the stone in a leg wound for safekeeping. After deaths and multiple trades, the rock went on to embellish royal crowns belonging to Louis XV, XVI, and XVIII and Napoleon Bonaparte's sword. Today, it exists in the Louvre mounted on a Greek diadem that was designed for Empress Eugenie.
Photo: Erich Lessing/Art Resource
NY/Artres
The Fabergé Egg Now closely associated with the Russian Imperial family, the first-ever "Imperial Easter egg" was dreamt up by T...
The Fabergé Egg Now closely associated with the Russian Imperial family, the first-ever "Imperial Easter egg" was dreamt up by Tsar Alexander III to surprise his wife, Empress Marie Fedorovna. Following the first bedazzled egg, the Tsar made it a tradition to present an egg each year to his wife. Fifty eggs were made for the imperial family between 1885 to 1916.
Photo: Pat Sullivan/Corbis
The Tutti Frutti Necklace by Cartier One of Cartier’s most famous pieces, the “Hindu necklace” was commissioned by Vogue-honored socialite and Si...
The Tutti Frutti Necklace by Cartier One of Cartier’s most famous pieces, the “Hindu necklace” was commissioned by Vogue-honored socialite and Singer sewing machine heiress Daisy Fellowes in 1936. It's made of dozens of rubies, emeralds, and diamond beads set in platinum and thirteen sapphires. This was the necklace that helped kick off Cartier's "Art Deco" craze.
Photo: FILIP SINGER/EPA/Corbis
The Pumpkin Diamond The 5.5-cara "Fancy Vivid Orange" diamond is the largest known orange diamond. Halle Berry wore it when she won an ...
The Pumpkin Diamond The 5.5-cara "Fancy Vivid Orange" diamond is the largest known orange diamond. Halle Berry wore it when she won an Oscar in 2002 and its nickname, "the Pumpkin Diamond,” was coined by Harry Winston when he purchased the rare rock in 1998.
Photo: Jacques Langevin/Corbis
The Black Orlov Diamond Another diamond that is supposedly cursed. A monk in India allegedly plucked it from the eye of an idol of Brahma. Ever s...
The Black Orlov Diamond Another diamond that is supposedly cursed. A monk in India allegedly plucked it from the eye of an idol of Brahma. Ever since, some people say it has caused "violent death" to the owners, many of whom jumped to their ends in what were deemed suicides. It was last seen on display in 2005 at the Natural History Museum's "Diamonds" exhibition in London and now belongs to an anonymous private collector.
Photo: Richard Lewis/Corbis
The Heart of the Ocean The fictional diamond and sapphire necklace crafted from James Cameron's mind that made Titanic history. Whil...
The Heart of the Ocean The fictional diamond and sapphire necklace crafted from James Cameron's mind that made Titanic history. While the Heart of the Ocean never existed, it was allegedly crafted after a necklace (that may not have even been made from real sapphire) that was on the real ship and is now called the Love of the Sea.
Photo: Getty Images
The Star of Asia Sapphire Said to have belonged to India’s Maharajah of Jodhpur, the six-ray sapphire from Burma weighs 329 carats. Along with ma...
The Star of Asia Sapphire Said to have belonged to India’s Maharajah of Jodhpur, the six-ray sapphire from Burma weighs 329 carats. Along with many of these other jewels, it’s currently part of the Smithsonian Museum’s permanent collection.
Photo: Chip Clark/This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws.
The Millennium Star Diamond The Star is a pear-shaped, 203-carat, colorless diamond, cut from a 777-carat crystal founded in the early nineties. ...
The Millennium Star Diamond The Star is a pear-shaped, 203-carat, colorless diamond, cut from a 777-carat crystal founded in the early nineties. There was once an attempted heist in 2000 to steal the diamond along with others, but it was successfully foiled by police in London.
Photo: Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images
The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch is made from a piece of Mughal emerald that hails from the mid-seve...
The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch is made from a piece of Mughal emerald that hails from the mid-seventeenth century. The stone from India weighs 55.8 carats and is carved with tulips, and was sold at a Christie's auction to in 2003.
Photo: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images
The Steinmetz Pink The pink diamond weighs 59.60 carats and was modeled at the Smithsonian’s “Splendor of Diamonds” exhibit in 2003. It's the lar...
The Steinmetz Pink The pink diamond weighs 59.60 carats and was modeled at the Smithsonian’s “Splendor of Diamonds” exhibit in 2003. It's the largest vivid pink diamond known and took the Steinmetz Group twenty months to cut it.
Photo: Stefan Zaklin/Getty Images
Part of
The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. This piece features a 49.59-carat emerald-cut aquamarine, along with diamonds set in pl...
Part of
The Great Gatsby Collection by Tiffany & Co. This piece features a 49.59-carat emerald-cut aquamarine, along with diamonds set in platinum. It was inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s film in collaboration with Catherine Martin.
Photo: Carlton Davis
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