Necklaces can be and often are genuine works of art, most commonly being made from precious metal, with gemstones serving as a focal point.
In the UK at least, gold and silver chains are as popular as they’ve ever been and for something more meaningful, there are few pieces of jewellery that say more than a diamond necklace.
The world’s most expensive necklaces are much more about history and being one-of-a-kind, as well as being admired for their aesthetic beauty. Many necklaces may remain anonymous and get handed down from generation to generation but there are some valuable items that garner worldwide attention for much more than their sentimental value.
A Heritage in Bloom
This, the ultimate necklace, was designed by Chinese master craftsman Wallace Chan and is estimated to be worth $200 million. The item has a total of 383.4 carats in precious stones with the main colourless diamond alone worth a dazzling $35 million. The necklace boasts 72 white mutton fat jades, 114 icy green jadeites, 600 pink diamonds, and 19 more divine colourless diamonds. It’s hardly surprising then that the necklace’s weight is over 200 grams. Craftsmen apparently worked for over 47,000 hours to create this masterpiece. The fact that the necklace has a modular design that can be worn in 27 ways, highlights the unique composition and sophisticated design of Wallace Chan’s exquisite creation.
The Incomparable Diamond Necklace
It’s not only the amazing feature stone that makes this necklace so valuable; this is one notable instance of a necklace being so highly valued because of the history behind it. The necklace was bought for $55 million primarily because of its valuable pendant stone, a flawless brownish-yellow diamond weighing 407.48 carats, set in rose gold and accentuated by 91 white diamonds, taking its total weight up to an amazing 637 carats. This rare and precious gem became a major attraction in popular museums before it was cut and placed in the necklace by luxury jeweller Mouawad. The centrepiece gem is considered the biggest internally flawless diamond in the world.
The Heart of the Ocean
This necklace gained worldwide fame via Hollywood as it was featured prominently in the record-breaking, award-winning movie ‘Titanic’. This magnum opus features a heart-shaped blue diamond surrounded by white diamonds. The movie created a big interest in renowned jewellers to create their own editions of the ‘Heart of the Ocean’. Asprey and Garrard sold their production for $2.2 million, while Harry Winston’s superior version raked in an amazing $20 million. J. Peterman created an official movie replica resembling the necklace used in the movie. These replicas have become much sought-after collector’s items and a single piece can even fetch up to $5,000 today. But these really are a drop in the ocean compared to the Winston ‘Heart’.
Heart of the Kingdom
This is perhaps the most eye-catching of all the world’s expensive necklaces, featuring 155 carats of pear-shaped and round white diamonds placed in a band surrounding one of the largest Burmese rubies in the world. This heart-shaped ruby weighs an amazing 40.63 carats. Created by the renowned jewellery maker Garrard and Company, its attraction is increased by its deep ‘pigeon blood’ red hue. The “Heart of the Kingdom” features a total of 150 diamonds surrounding the extremely rare, dazzling ruby. The price tag of a jaw-dropping $14 million should come as no surprise.
The Etcetera Burmese Ruby Necklace
In November 2013, The Etcetera Burmese became the most valuable ruby-based necklace ever selling for $6.4 million. The source of the precious stones undoubtedly has some bearing on that mammoth figure. Burma, as it was called, has been a major source for rubies for many years but its human rights record saw a ban in the USA. It’s been suggested this ban inflated the value of the necklace to such an astronomical amount. However, it’s not just the stones that make this necklace so attractive – the design too is totally unique, like a lace collar but with a total of 87 carats consisting of oval and pear diamonds with the Burmese rubies, set in a beautiful drip design.
Leviev’s Vivid Yellow Diamond Pendant
To say Lev Leviev is a major figure in the jewellery world is something of an understatement – he controls the third biggest group of diamond mines in the world. One of those mines turned up the vivid yellow diamond in this necklace, considered to be Leviev’s masterpiece. The term ‘vivid’ comes from the highest rating given to a coloured stone of this kind – ‘fancy vivid’. But there’s also a string of white diamonds supporting the 77.12 carat yellow centrepiece; Leviev put a $10 million value on his necklace but that value has undoubtedly increased markedly since.
The Marie Antoinette Necklace
This last necklace on the list is perhaps the most significant. It is a tribute to a famous figure in history who set a trend for wearing necklaces and so influenced whole generations. Named after the famous French queen Marie Antoinette, this necklace showcases her love of the lavish royal lifestyle. The classic design by De Beers features a 1.84 carat pink diamond lined down the centre with two yellow diamonds; these three precious gems are surrounded by a large cluster of small diamonds set in platinum. Within the beauty is a wonderful design with the main diamond acting like an anchor to pull down the chokers enhancing the shape of the necklace.
Necklaces have been a major jewellery attraction throughout the ages and that will doubtlessly continue to be the case for years and centuries to come. The beauty of a unique design that showcases precious stones will always be a desirable acquisition for those who can afford it, and if there’s a story behind the piece of jewellery then all the better. A thing of beauty doesn’t have to cost the earth but whatever the cost, it should always have something to say to the wearer.
