World’s Most Expensive Necklace Sets a Guinness Record – L’Incomparable

Posted on Apr 18, 2013 in Diamonds in the News,

GIA recently made headlines for grading the statement gem in what has been dubbed the world’s most expensive necklace by the Guinness Book of World Records.

637-carat total weight L’Incomparable diamond necklace.

As reported in a Forbes.com article, the 637-carat total weight L’Incomparable diamond necklace is valued at a staggering $55 million.

According to the article, the 18k rose gold necklace’s centerpiece gem is a 407.48-carat Fancy Deep brownish yellow shield step-cut diamond, which is the largest internally flawless diamond ever graded by GIA. The lavish necklace’s surrounding gemstones are suspended beneath 229.52carats of diamonds that include; 35 rough diamonds, 27 pear-shaped diamonds, nine heart-shaped diamonds, five emerald-cut diamonds, five cushion-cut diamonds, four oval-shaped diamonds, three Asscher-cut diamonds and two radiant-cut diamonds.

GIA graded 407.48-carat Fancy Deep brownish yellow shield step-cut diamond is the center piece diamond.

In 1980, the Incomparable diamond was discovered in a rubble pile by a young girl in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rubble had not been screened for diamonds because it was deemed too chunky. The diamond weighed 890 carats rough, before it was revealed to the public in its polished state in 1984. It was then displayed at the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution and has since appeared in many other museums.

In addition to L’Incomparable, GIA has been entrusted with grading many of the world’s most famous diamonds. The list includes such iconic names such as the Hope (45.52 carats), the Steinmetz Pink (59.60-carats), the Taylor-Burton (69.42-carats), the Allnatt (101.29-carats), the De Beers Millennium Star (203.04-carats), and the Centenary (273.85-carats).

The L’Incomparable necklace features many diamonds in various cuts around the stunning feature stone. Which of these cuts is your favorite?

Images courtesy of Mouawad