The Tiffany Diamond is one of the largest and finest yellow diamonds in the world, at 128.54-carats. It is highly exclusive, having been worn by only four women in the world since its discovery in 1877. 

What is a Yellow Diamond?

Only 1-carat in 10,000-carats mined is naturally coloured, with the potential diamond colours being yellow, green, orange, pink, purple, blue and red. Yellow is the most common of the coloured diamonds, and most are found in South Africa, and gets its colour from traces of nitrogen attached to the diamond while it was forming. All coloured diamonds are graded on a scale that determines the strength of the colour, from fancy light to fancy vivid; the higher intensity of nitrogen atoms in a yellow diamond, the stronger its yellow colour. 

The History of the Tiffany Diamond

The Tiffany Diamond was discovered in the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa in 1877 and was brought by Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Lewis Tiffany a year later. The rough stone was 287.42-carats and was brought to Paris for cutting. Tiffany’s chief gemologist Dr George Frederick Kunz, was put in charge of cutting the prized gem, although he was only 23-years-old at the time. The diamond was cut, prioritizing amplifying the colour rather than the size. The diamond was cut into a cushion-shaped brilliant with 82-facets, 24 more facets than the traditional 58-facet brilliant cut. Other brilliant cuts would not come close to the Tiffany Diamond until the 20th century. 

Throughout the lifetime of the Tiffany Diamond, it has spent the majority of its time either being the centrepiece of an exhibition around the world or on display at the Tiffany & Co. flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Only four women have worn it since its discovery. The first woman to wear the legendary diamond was socialite Mrs Mary Whitehouse in 1957, the wife of American diplomat Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse. She was loaned the diamond to wear at the Tiffany Benefit Ball, which was sponsored by Tiffany & Co. The next person to wear the diamond was fashion icon Audrey Hepburn in 1961. She wore the necklace for publicity photos of the iconic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. 

In 2012 the diamond was re-set in a necklace Tiffany & Co.’s 175th anniversary, alongside more than 100-carats of white diamonds. It wasn’t until 2019 that the diamond was worn again by Lady Gaga at the 91st annual Academy Awards in an outfit that was an homage to Hepburn. Recently, Beyonce Knowles-Carter became the fourth woman and first black woman to wear the necklace. She and her husband, Jay-Z, partnered with Tiffany & Co. for their latest campaign, ‘About Love’, where she poses in the iconic necklace. 

The Tiffany Diamond is currently estimated to be worth at least USD30 million, making it one of the most expensive diamonds in the world. The four women will go down in history as the few who have worn this exquisite diamond.