THE WITTELSBACH DIAMOND – $23.4 MILLION
This is another Indian diamond which was a favorite among royals for centuries. It is the only Indian diamond in this list to be blue in color. The original diamond was known as the Der Blaue Wittelsbacher and weighed 35.56 carat. It was fancy deep grayish blue in color with VS2 clarity. It was discovered in the mid 1600s and had been part of both the Austrian and the Bavarian Crown jewels. Its last public appearance was in 1921 during the funeral of Ludwig III of Bavaria. It went out of the possession of the Wittelsbachs in 1951 following the Great Depression and was acquired by the jeweler Lawrence Graff in 2008. At that time it was the costliest diamond to have been sold. Graff cut it by over 4.45 carats amidst much criticism. Apparently, it was a business-driven move, after which the diamond has acquired an F1 status following the cut. The color is the more desirable ‘fancy deep blue’. Its present owner is Hamad bin Khalifa, the former emir of Qatar, who bought it for at least $80 million in June 2011.
