Last Updated: April 2026
TL;DR:
- The Tiffany Yellow Diamond is worth roughly $30 million today, up from the $18,000 Charles Tiffany paid for the rough stone in 1878.
- It weighs 128.54 carats, cut down from a 287.42-carat rough stone found in South Africa’s Kimberley mines in 1877 — cutters sacrificed more than half the original weight.
- Only four women have ever worn it in public: Mrs. E. Sheldon Whitehouse (1957), Audrey Hepburn (1961), Lady Gaga (2019), and Beyoncé (2021).
If you know jewelry, you’ve probably heard of the Tiffany Yellow Diamond. It’s one of the largest fancy yellow diamonds ever unearthed, and it’s spent more than a century as the crown jewel of Tiffany & Co.’s brand identity. The diamond has never actually been sold since Charles Tiffany bought the rough stone, which is exactly why pinning down a dollar figure takes some digging. Below, I’ll break down what it’s worth, why it costs that much, and why only a handful of women have ever worn it.
How Much is the Tiffany Yellow Diamond Worth?
The Tiffany Yellow Diamond is valued at approximately $30 million as of its most recent public estimate. Charles Tiffany originally paid $18,000 for the rough stone in 1878 — roughly $510,000 in today’s money. That means the gem’s value has grown more than 58 times over, even adjusted for inflation.
According to Natural Diamond Council, the stone hasn’t traded hands since Tiffany acquired it. In 1972, the company floated a $5 million asking price. By the end of 1983, the last time it was formally offered for sale, that number had climbed to $12 million. The $30 million figure comes from more recent appraisals tied to its 2019 and 2021 red-carpet appearances. The setting around the stone has been swapped out a few times over the decades, but the diamond itself hasn’t changed — it’s the same 128.54 carats George Frederick Kunz cut back in 1878.
What Makes the Tiffany Yellow Diamond So Special?
Diamonds are graded on the “4 Cs” — cut, color, clarity, and carat — and the Tiffany stone scores unusually high on all four, which is rare for a gem this size. It was discovered in 1877 in the Kimberley mines of South Africa, weighing 287.42 carats (57.484 grams) in its rough form. Charles Tiffany bought it in 1878 and sent it to his gemologist, George Frederick Kunz, who spent a full year studying the stone before traveling to Paris to cut it.
Kunz cut the rough stone down to 128.54 carats — meaning more than half the original weight was sacrificed to shape it. He gave it a cushion-shaped design with 90 facets instead of the standard 58 you’d see on a typical round brilliant. Eight needle-like facets radiate outward from the culet at the bottom, a pattern Kunz said was designed to give the stone a “smoldering fire” look rather than the flashier sparkle of a standard cut. Diamond historian Herbert Tillander classified this technique as a “stellar cut” in his 1995 reference book on historic diamond cutting, placing it alongside the Wittelsbach, the Koh-i-Noor, and the Cullinan Diamond.
Why is the Tiffany Yellow Diamond So Expensive?
The Tiffany Yellow Diamond’s price tag comes down to three things: the Tiffany & Co. brand name, the company’s strict sourcing standards, and the sheer rarity of a fancy yellow diamond this large. No single factor explains the $30 million valuation — it’s the combination that drives the number up.
Color intensity plays a huge role in pricing any yellow diamond — the deeper and richer the yellow, the higher the per-carat cost climbs. But brand matters just as much here. Buying a diamond from Tiffany & Co. means buying into nearly 200 years of jewelry-making reputation, and that reputation shows up in how they present and cut every stone to maximize brilliance.
Tiffany is also unusually strict about where its diamonds come from. The company runs its own Gemological Laboratory in New York, which holds diamonds to a higher internal standard than even the GIA requires, and it audits its supplier mines for labor conditions regularly. That level of diligence isn’t cheap to maintain, and it shows up in retail pricing across the brand — a topic covered in more depth in this breakdown of Tiffany’s diamond sourcing ethics.
Then there’s rarity. The Tiffany Yellow Diamond isn’t for sale, and it never has been since 1878 — visitors and celebrities can only borrow it for a few hours at a time for photo shoots or red-carpet events. Fancy yellow diamonds over 100 carats are exceptionally rare to begin with; Sotheby’s has documented only a handful of yellow diamonds in that size class ever coming to market, and none of them carry the celebrity provenance this one does.
Who Has Worn the Tiffany Yellow Diamond?
Only four women have worn the actual Tiffany Yellow Diamond in public: Mrs. E. Sheldon Whitehouse in 1957, Audrey Hepburn in 1961, Lady Gaga in 2019, and Beyoncé in 2021. Anything else that looks similar is a replica of the shape and setting, not the real stone.
Mrs. E. Sheldon Whitehouse wore it first, mounted in a necklace surrounded by white diamonds, at the Tiffany Ball in Newport, Rhode Island in 1957. Audrey Hepburn wore it next in 1961, during promotional photography for Breakfast at Tiffany’s — a connection you can read more about in this piece on whether Hepburn actually wore the diamond.
Lady Gaga became the third woman to wear the stone at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019, the same night she won Best Original Song for “Shallow.” Beyoncé followed in 2021 when she fronted a Tiffany & Co. campaign, becoming the first Black woman to wear the diamond publicly. According to WWD, that campaign reignited public interest in the stone’s history and pushed its estimated value discussions back into the spotlight.
Where Does the Tiffany Yellow Diamond Live Now?
The Tiffany Yellow Diamond is permanently housed at the Tiffany & Co. flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. It made its public debut at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair as part of Tiffany’s exhibit before eventually settling into its current home.
It’s displayed there today, occasionally coming out for special exhibitions, celebrity loans, or campaign shoots. Because it’s never sold, the value figures you see reported are always appraisals, not sale prices — which is part of why estimates have ranged from $12 million in the 1980s to the $30 million figure most commonly cited now. If you’re curious how a diamond like this holds value compared to Tiffany’s retail jewelry line, this guide on whether Tiffany jewelry retains its value covers that in more detail.
The Bottom Line
The Tiffany Yellow Diamond’s roughly $30 million valuation isn’t just about size — a 128.54-carat stone with this level of color, cut precision, and unbroken provenance back to 1878 is almost impossible to replicate. What really drives the number, though, is the story: four women, four decades of red-carpet moments, and a brand that’s never once put it up for sale. If you’re shopping for your own yellow diamond, don’t expect Tiffany-level pricing to reflect typical market rates — check out how the Tiffany cut compares to other popular cuts before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many carats is the Tiffany Yellow Diamond?
The Tiffany Yellow Diamond weighs 128.54 carats in its finished, polished form. It started as a 287.42-carat rough stone before George Frederick Kunz cut it down in 1878, sacrificing more than half its original weight to shape its signature cushion cut.
Has the Tiffany Yellow Diamond ever been sold?
No. Charles Tiffany purchased the rough stone in 1878 for $18,000, and it has never changed hands since. It was offered for sale twice — in 1972 for $5 million and in 1983 for $12 million — but no sale ever went through, and it remains company property today.
Why does the Tiffany Yellow Diamond have 90 facets?
Standard round brilliant diamonds typically have 58 facets. Kunz gave the Tiffany stone 90, including eight needle-like facets radiating from the culet, specifically to create a deeper, smoldering glow rather than sharp flashes of light.
Who was the first person to wear the Tiffany Yellow Diamond?
Mrs. E. Sheldon Whitehouse was the first woman to wear it publicly, at the Tiffany Ball in Newport, Rhode Island in 1957 — nearly 80 years after Tiffany acquired the stone.
Is the Tiffany Yellow Diamond bigger than the Hope Diamond?
Yes. The Tiffany Yellow Diamond, at 128.54 carats, is significantly larger than the Hope Diamond, which weighs 45.52 carats. However, the Hope Diamond is a blue diamond and carries its own separate valuation and history unrelated to Tiffany & Co.
Where can you see the Tiffany Yellow Diamond in person?
It’s on permanent display at the Tiffany & Co. flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, though it occasionally leaves for special campaigns, exhibitions, or celebrity red-carpet loans.
Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.