The World of Rare Necklaces: The Beautiful Blue Empress

In the world of rare necklaces, a couple million dollars doesn't get you much. Even ten million dollars is cheap for the rarest of the rare. The most expensive necklace may likely be one built around the Blue Empress, a rare natural blue diamond. The pear-shaped diamond weighs about 14 carats. It is set in 18k white gold and surrounded with white diamonds. The Blue Empress necklace is estimated to be worth $16 million.

The runner-up for rare necklaces is a $12 million piece in the Robert Mouawad private collection. It has a 70 carat diamond surrounded by a multitude of colored diamonds, which appear to include yellow, pink, and blue.

Who knew that The Necklace Satine, worn by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, would be considered a bargain next to these two. It's got 1,308 diamonds for a total of 134 carats, and was made just for the movie. It's gorgeous, but "only" worth about a million dollars.