< Historic Diamonds / Auctions
The Most Expensive Pair of Earrings Ever Sold: The Apollo and Artemis Diamonds
Graded among the rarest diamond types on Earth, the Apollo Blue and Artemis Pink combine exceptional size, clarity, and color in a single pair of earrings that transformed expectations at auction.
The Apollo and Artemis Diamonds, the most valuable earrings ever to appear at auction, were unveiled at Sotheby’s on April 10, 2017, in London, England. (Getty Images)
The Apollo and Artemis diamonds belong to a category of gems alongside a small handful that rewrote the record books and changed what was thought possible. When they appeared at Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels & Noble Jewels auction in Geneva in the spring of 2017, they instantly commanded global attention for their beauty, rarity as individuals, and sheer improbability of their existence as a matched pair.
Presented as a set of contrasting-color pear-shaped earrings yet offered as separate lots, the Apollo and Artemis diamonds were introduced by Sotheby’s as ‘the most important pair of diamond earrings ever brought to market’. That was not marketing bravado. It was a sober assessment of just how extraordinary these two stones truly are.
Meet the Expert
- Grant Mobley is the Jewelry & Watch Editor of Only Natural Diamonds.
- He is a GIA Diamonds Graduate.
- He has over 17 years of jewelry industry experience, starting with growing up in his family’s retail jewelry stores.
An Unlikely Pair: The Apollo and Artemis Diamonds
The idea of two fancy-colored diamonds emerging with such harmony in size, cut, and visual weight almost defies probability. Apollo, a Fancy Vivid Blue diamond weighing 14.54 carats, and Artemis, a Fancy Intense Pink diamond weighing 16.00 carats, mirror each other in matched pear shapes that do not feel accidental. Diamonds of this caliber rarely exist on their own, so the fact that two such stones could be discovered, cut, and mounted together elevates them into a category beyond normal comparison.
Both diamonds made their public debut at the 2017 Geneva sale, having never appeared on the open market before. Experts believe the same master cutters fashioned them after rough diamonds revealed the potential to yield near-perfect counterparts. Rather than focusing on individuality, the cutting decisions honored the harmony between the stones in an approach unheard of at this level.
The Apollo Blue Diamond
The Apollo Blue is the undeniable headliner. Discovered at South Africa’s legendary Cullinan Mine, it’s among the rarest blue diamonds ever unearthed. Graded Fancy Vivid Blue, Internally Flawless, and classified as Type IIb, Apollo’s specs belong to a tiny fraction of natural diamonds discovered.
Type IIb diamonds contain no nitrogen and trace amounts of boron, the element responsible for their blue color. According to the Gemological Institute of America, less than one percent of diamonds fall into this category, and only a vanishingly small number achieve a Fancy Vivid color grade. Internally Flawless clarity at this size pushes the Apollo Blue into territory that only a couple of natural diamonds ever approach.
At auction, Apollo sold for just over $42 million, landing squarely within its estimate and securing its place as the largest internally flawless Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ever offered publicly. Even on its own, the Apollo Blue would have commanded global attention.
The Artemis Pink Diamond
Weighing exactly 16 carats, the Fancy Intense Pink Artemis is a Type IIa diamond, meaning it is the most chemically pure diamond type. This type is free from measurable nitrogen or boron impurities, which most other diamonds have.
Natural pink diamonds sit among the rarest natural diamond colors. The GIA reports that fewer than three percent of all diamonds it grades qualify as colored diamonds, and less than five percent of those show predominantly pink coloration. Intense saturation in stones of this size is exceptionally uncommon, which makes Artemis’s all the more remarkable.
The Artemis Pink achieved a price of more than $15 million, confirming that collectors recognized not only its beauty, but its scientific rarity.
The Gods That Inspired the Apollo and Artemis Diamonds
In Greek mythology, Apollo and Artemis are twin siblings, born to Zeus and Leto, and together they represent a perfect duality. Apollo, the god of the sun, light, music, and order, embodies clarity, intellect, and brilliance. Artemis, goddess of the moon, the hunt, and the natural world, symbolizes independence, intuition, and quiet strength. Both seem to perfectly resonate with each diamond’s unique qualities. Just like the gods, the diamonds are independent but feel incomplete without one another.
How the Apollo and Artemis Diamonds Broke Records
Although the auction offered the diamonds independently, Sotheby’s confirmed that both diamonds had been acquired by the same anonymous buyer, ensuring that the pair would remain together. Together, the Apollo and Artemis diamonds achieved more than $57 million, setting a world record for earrings sold at auction.
David Bennett, Sotheby’s Worldwide Chairman of the International Jewellery Division, expressed delight that the stones would remain together. After all, these were stones conceived as twins, so it’s fitting they would continue their journey as such.
The buyer later renamed the diamonds “The Memory of Autumn Leaves” and “The Dream of Autumn Leaves,” giving them a new layer of personal meaning while preserving their shared identity.
