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1. Hope Diamond—$250 million
The top spot for the world’s most expensive piece of jewelry is currently held by the Hope Diamond, owned by the Smithsonian Institution: a superb 45.52-carat deep-blue diamond. It was one of the jewels of the French crown; it disappeared in 1789 only to reappear 20 years later in England. Acquired by the Hope family and owned by them for many years, ultimately in 1901 Lord Francis Hope obtained permission from the Court of Chancery and his sisters to sell the stone to help pay off his debts. Cartier bought it in 1910 and he was the one who turned it into a pendant. Evalyn Walsh McLean then became the owner. New York gem trader Harry Winston purchased the diamond back in 1949, touring it for several years before donating it in 1958 to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the United States, where it is on permanent exhibition it is worth between $200 and $250 million. More than 100 million people have visited the Hope Diamond, which measures 25.60 mm × 21.78 mm × 12.00 mm in length, width, and depth.