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The 6 Greatest Jewelry Auctions of All Time
From royal romances and Hollywood legends to record-shattering diamonds and legendary design, these six landmark sales reshaped the jewelry market and defined what greatness looks like at auction.
Published: January 23, 2026
Written by: Grant Mobley
At their best, jewelry auctions capture history, emotion, provenance, and rarity with the fall of a gavel. The greatest jewelry auctions of all time did more than set records. They reshaped the market by proving that a jewel’s story, authenticity, and cultural resonance can elevate it far beyond carat weight or craftsmanship, transforming it into an object of global fascination.
From royal romances and Hollywood legends to diamonds so rare they redefined what value itself means, these six landmark auctions stand apart. Each one shifted the way collectors think about jewelry—and why the world stops to watch when the most extraordinary jewels ever created come to market.
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.
Ahead, discover the jewelry auctions that changed history forever.
1. The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor (1987)
When Sotheby’s offered the jewels of the Duchess of Windsor in 1987, the sale instantly became the gold standard against which all jewelry auctions are measured. The 311-piece collection achieved $50.3 million, nearly seven times its estimate, an outcome that stunned the market and permanently altered auction psychology.
These jewels carried unparalleled cultural gravity. They were gifts from King Edward VIII to Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom he abdicated the British throne. No other jewelry collection has ever combined romance, scandal, power, and design at this level.
Top-selling pieces included the McLean Diamond, a 31.26-carat cushion-cut diamond ring that realized $3.15 million; her emerald engagement ring, at $2.13 million; and her ruby and diamond 40th-birthday necklace, at $2.6 million. Her diamond and onyx panther bracelet by Cartier also emerged as one of the most iconic jewels of the 20th century. Elizabeth Taylor famously bid by phone from Los Angeles, while Calvin and Kelly Klein acquired important natural pearl and diamond jewels.
Proceeds from the sale benefited the Pasteur Institute for medical research. This auction taught the market a lesson that still governs today: a good story can be as valuable as jewels.
2. Elizabeth Taylor: The Collection (2011)
When Christie’s presented the jewels of Elizabeth Taylor, the result was monumental. The four-day New York auction generated over $137 million for jewelry alone, making it the most valuable private jewelry collection ever sold at the time.
The sale included 1,778 lots across jewelry, fashion, and memorabilia, with bidders from 36 countries participating in person, online, and by phone. Many pieces sold for multiples of their estimates, showing the emotional power of Taylor’s role as custodian of historic and beautiful jewels.
Top lots included La Peregrina, the legendary natural pearl and diamond necklace designed by Taylor with Cartier, which sold for nearly $12 million, and the historical Taj Mahal diamond necklace, featuring an inscribed table-cut diamond, which brought almost $9 million. The famous 33.19-carat Asscher-cut Krupp Diamond ring also achieved close to $9 million. A portion of the proceeds benefited the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
Few auctions have ever offered such a concentration of iconic jewels with such global recognition.
3. The Collection of Rachel “Bunny” Mellon (2014)
In 2014, Sotheby’s unveiled one of the most private and refined American collections ever assembled. The multi-day sale of Rachel “Bunny” Mellon’s estate totaled approximately $218 million, spanning more than 1,500 lots of art, furniture, decorative objects, and jewelry.
The jewelry portion alone comprised 258 lots, offering a rare window into Mellon’s extraordinary eye for luxury. Designers included Verdura, Belperron, Elsa Peretti, Tiffany & Co., and others chosen not for flash, but for taste in design.
The defining moment came with the sale of the Mellon Blue Diamond, a 9.75-carat pear-shaped Fancy Vivid Blue diamond mounted in platinum. It sold for over $32 million, more than doubling its high estimate and setting a diamond auction record at the time. A second, lighter-colored, pear-shaped Fancy Blue diamond weighing 9.15 carats followed at nearly $3 million.
Altogether, it is considered one of the last great private American collections to come to market.
4. The CTF Pink Star Diamond (2017)
Some jewelry auctions earn immortality through a single stone. In April 2017, Sotheby’s sold the Pink Star, a 59.60-carat Internally Flawless natural Fancy Vivid Pink diamond, for $71.2 million, making it the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction.
The diamond stood alone, but its significance cannot be overstated. No other diamond combines size, color saturation, and clarity at this level. After an intense bidding war, Chow Tai Fook acquired the stone and renamed it in honor of its founder.
This sale proved that a single, unmatched diamond can eclipse even the most significant collections.
5. Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence (2019)
Held by Christie’s in New York, this 12.5-hour marathon sale totaled $109.3 million, becoming the highest-grossing auction of Indian jewelry and art in history. Curated from The Al Thani Collection, the sale showcased nearly 400 lots spanning 500 years of Indian and Mughal craftsmanship. The collection spanned Golconda diamonds, rare-color gems, royal turban ornaments, ceremonial swords and daggers, and exceptional signed jewels by JAR, Bhagat, and others.
Highlights included a Cartier Belle Époque diamond devant-de-corsage brooch set with Golconda diamonds that sold for nearly $11 million, the Mirror of Paradise ring, featuring a 52.58-carat Golconda diamond that achieved over $6.5 million, and the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace, set with eight table-cut diamonds weighing between 10 and 15 carats each, that achieved nearly $2 million.
The auction redefined how historic Indian jewelry commands the global stage.
6. The World of Heidi Horten (2023)
The honor of the most valuable private jewelry collection ever auctioned belongs to Heidi Horten, an Austrian philanthropist and one of the most important private jewelry collectors of the 20th century. Sold by Christie’s, the landmark, multi-part sale totaled more than $202 million and featured over 700 exceptional jewels.
The collection spanned decades of high jewelry history and included signed masterpieces from Harry Winston, Bulgari, Cartier, and other storied maisons, cementing the Horten collection’s place as a defining moment in the history of jewelry auctions.
Very few private collections show such depth across a range of designers while still maintaining a coherent point of view. Horten collected thoughtfully, favoring strong color, scale, and unmistakable design signatures. Together, the collection felt less like an estate sale and more like a museum curation of 20th-century high jewelry.
Top lots included a Bulgari Fancy Intense Pink diamond ring that sold for over $11 million, the Briolette of India necklace with a 90.36-carat briolette diamond that achieved $8 million, and a spectacular Bulgari brooch set with multiple natural fancy-colored diamonds that sold for nearly $6 million. Proceeds benefited the Heidi Horten Foundation, supporting medical research and the arts.
