oscars 2019

Lady Gaga Is Wearing the Largest Yellow Diamond in the World

Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Lady Gaga is wearing the Tiffany Diamond, the largest yellow diamond in the world, and I canโ€™t breathe.

It was last worn by Audrey Hepburn to publicize Breakfast at Tiffanyโ€™s in 1961, and has only graced the neck of two โ€” now three โ€” women since it was mined in South Africa in 1877. The necklace totals over 100 karats and is โ€œpriceless,โ€ according to the historic jeweler.

For many, this is news. But Iโ€™ve seen this baby before. Two months ago, as I often do when Iโ€™m feeling the โ€œmean redsโ€ โ€” or just especially broke โ€” I walked into the Tiffany flagship on Fifth Avenue and began to salivate. In the northwest corner, behind glass and watched over by a guard, was the largest diamond I had ever seen. I let him know that I just recently became a billionaire, and would like to buy it. He said it wasnโ€™t for sale. Maybe he called my bluff because my iPhone screen was cracked. Weโ€™ll never know. (Unlike me, Lady Gaga is a Tiffany spokesperson, which I suppose explains how she got her access to it.)

But now the heart-stoppingly expensive rock is sitting on Gagaโ€™s neck. Iโ€™m sweating so hard I had to remove a layer. Can you imagine the pressure of wearing that for an evening? How much does it weigh? Does her head hurt? And most importantly, will I ever get the chance to breathe on the diamond, without glass getting in our way?

Lady Gaga Is Wearing the Worldโ€™s Largest Yellow Diamond