the Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carat deep blue diamond. It's a brilliant blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within & exhibits red phosphorescence under ultraviolet light. Clarity is determined to be VS1, with whitish graining present. The cut is described as being "cushion antique brilliant with a faceted girdle & extra facets on the pavilion."

Wittelsbach Blue Diamond weighs 35.56 carats. The first record of the Wittelsbach dates from the latter part of the seventeenth century. It has been suggested that a diamond of such a rare color must once have formed part of the famous French Blue Diamond brought from India & later sold to Louis XIV of France; which yielded the Hope weighing 45.52 carats.

Orlov Black Diamond is 189.62 carats & is part of the collection of the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin. The origin of this resplendent relic – described as having the shape and proportions of half a hen's egg – can be traced back to a Hindu temple in 18th century Mysore, southern India.

Amsterdam Black Diamond is a black diamond weighing 33.74 carats & it's cut with 42 facets in a pear shape. It was cut from a 55.85 carat rough & was sold in 2001 for $352,000, thus making it the highest price paid for a black diamond at auction.

Allnatt Yellow Diamond is a Fancy Vivid Yellow cushion cut measuring 101.29 carats. Named after one of its holders Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt, a soldier, sportsman, art patron and benefactor. It is not known precisely where the Allnatt originated. Many experts believe it was probably found in what is now known as the De Beers Premier Diamond Mine.

Tiffany Canary Diamond is one of the largest fancy yellow diamonds ever discovered; it weighed 287.42 carats in the rough when discovered in 1878 in the Kimberley mine in South Africa, & was cut into a cushion shape of 128.54 carats with 90 facets - 32 more than a traditional round brilliant - to maximize its brilliance.

DeYoung Red Diamond is the third-largest known red diamond. It was bought in a flea market on a hatpin by Sidney deYoung (a prominent Boston estate jewelry merchant.) He donated it to the Smithsonian museum of natural history.

Moussaieff Red Diamond measures 5.11 carats with a triangular brilliant cut (sometimes called a trillion or a trilliant cut) & is rated as Fancy Red by the Gemological Institute of America. While this may seem relatively small when compared to other famous diamonds, the Moussaieff Red is, in fact, the largest Fancy Red the GIA reports having rated.

de Grisogono Green Diamond is a nearly flawless (exact clarity unknown), cushion-cut, natural green diamond of 25 carats; described by de Grisogono founder Fawaz Gruosi as "the finest modern specimen of a green diamond" eclipsed only by the 40.7 carat Dresden Green. Set in a white gold ring with seven carats of black diamonds (a de Grisogono signature.)

Dresden Green Diamond is a 41 carat natural green diamond with a history dating to 1722 & is named after the city of Dresden where it's been on display for most of the last two centuries. The stone's unique green color is due to natural exposure to radioactive materials. It's being used to devise a test to tell between natural & lab-produced green diamonds.

Grand Conde Pink Diamond is a fancy pink pear shaped diamond weighing 9.01 carats. Named after "the Grand Condé" Louis II who was governor of the Bourgogne region. Under his command the French beat Spain in 1634 during the battle of Rocroi which brought to an end the Thirty-year war. Just after the battle Louis XIII gave Louis II this beautiful diamond.

Hortensia Pink Diamond King Louis XIV added this 20 carat pale orangish-pink diamond to the Crown Jewels of France. It's rather flat & rectangular in shape & cut on five sides. During the First Empire the Hortensia was mounted on the fastening of Napoleon's epaulette braid. Later (in 1856) it was set in a diamond encrusted headband for Empress Eugénie.

Queen of Holland Diamond is a 135.92 carat cushion-cut diamond. The Dutch sovereign for whom this stone is named was Queen Wilhelmina who reigned from 1890 to 1948. The Gemological Institute of America has graded the stone as Internally Flawless and D color, one of the largest of that quality known.

Royal Purple Heart Diamond at 7.34 carats & I1 clarity; is the largest fancy vivid purple diamond known to exist. This unique stone has been cut and polished into a perfect heart shape so the natural purple color sparkles with maximum effect. Natural purple diamonds are among the rarest color in which diamonds occur. Stones over 5 carats are especially prized.

Mouawad Magic Diamond acquired in Antwerp by Lebanese diamond dealer Robert Mouawad as a 284.6 carat rough diamond found in the Aredor Mine in Guinea, Africa. Faceted at his own office in Belgium into an Internally Flawless, D-color, 108.81 carat emerald cut & later named the Mouawad Magic. The largest diamond in his collection reportedly "not for sale."

Mouawad Splendour Diamond it's unusual because it has an 11-sided girdle, but also because it is a D-color and Flawless clarity stone. It weighs 101.84 carats and is valued at $13,970,000. Also owned by Robert Mouawad.

Levin Marquise Diamond a marquise-shaped diamond weighing 37.25 carats, set in a Harry Winston ring (circa 1964) is flanked by 2 tapered baguette diamonds. GIA certified D color, VVS1 clarity. Marquise diamonds this size are very rare due to the fact that the marquise shape tends to waste a lot of rough stone.

La Favorite Diamond is a 50.15-carat D-color, VVS-2 clarity with the potential for being flawless if it were to be slightly recut. It is set in a ring by Bulgari. The La Favorite was mined in South Africa and made its debut at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. During the Depression people waited in long lines to see it. The piece was purchased in April 2001 for $3,636,000.

Ruspoli Sapphire resides today in Paris's Museum of Natural History. It has a distinctive lozenge shape with only six facets, appearing like a huge sapphire rhomb. It is 135.8 carats & nearly "without flaw" containing only one small feather & crystal inclusion & is possibly of Burmese or Sri Lankan origin & dates back to King Louis XIV sometime before 1691.

Queen Maries Sapphire A cushion-shaped sapphire weighing 478.68 carats is by far the worlds largest cut sapphire & is second in size only to the Logan Sapphire which is 423 carats. The Swiss Gemological Institute states that the sapphire is of Sri Lankan origin and has no indications of thermal enhancement.

Guiness Emerald a 1759-carat Emerald Crystal. The stone was found at the Coscuez in Columbia and is one of the largest gem-quality emerald crystals in the world. Today it is part of the collection of the Banco Nazionale de la Republica in Bogotà, Columbia.

Crown of Cortez Emerald is a 306 carat Colombian Emerald from Louis XV’s world famous gem collection. The Crown of Cortez is also known as the Isabelle Stone & is one of the largest gem quality Colombian Emeralds in the world.

Hixon Ruby is a 196.1 carat gem that was donated to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles in 1978 by Frederick C. Hixon. It is considered to be one of the most perfect large ruby crystals in the world.

Carmen Lúcia Ruby is a 23.1-carat Burmese ruby in the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. It's set in a platinum ring with diamonds & displays a richly saturated homogenous red combined with exceptional transparency. The stone was mined from the fabled Mogok region of Burma in the 1930's & was donated by philanthropist Peter Buck in memory of his wife Carmen Lúcia.

Gordon Star Sapphire is an oval-shaped star sapphire cabochon weighing approximately 52 carats & framed by 24 pear shaped diamonds weighing approximately 6.6 carats in a platinum pendant/ring with a detachable shank & retractable pendant loop.

Delong Star Ruby is a 100.32 carat oval cabochon star ruby. Discovered in Burma in the early twentieth century. Donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1937 by Edith Haggin DeLong. One of several precious gems stolen in a jewelry heist by Jack Roland Murphy. It was recovered at the designated drop off site (a phone booth in Florida) after payment of a $25,000 ransom.