Star-studded sales

The De Beers Diamond Mansion, the company that created the famous ‘Diamonds are Forever’ tagline, and John Denver’s Rocky Mountain home he sang about it in his song 'Starwood in Aspen' are now for sale.

Diamonds are for sale

The heir of the De Beers diamond fortune, the company that created the famous ‘Diamonds are Forever’ tagline and controlled much of the world’s diamond supply for many years, Rebecca Oppenheimer is selling her 80-acre self-sustaining Tenino, Washington property. Named Merkaba, its design was inspired by the Garden of Cosmic Speculation that highlights science and math in Scotland. The three-dimensional, 8-point star made from two pyramids, which is a symbol often associated with positive energy, harmony and balance, Merkaba is now for sale, priced at $11 million.

Rebecca is the granddaughter of former De Beers Chairman Harry Oppenheimer, the family that ran most of De Beers from 1926 until 2011 when they sold their stake in the company for over $5 billion. She and her husband purchased the home in 2003 and spent three years renovating it, instructing her South African architect to create a design along the order of Guggenheim Museum meets UFO with a landscape that would include a saltwater pool, chicken coop, honey bees, barn with three extra bedrooms and a greenhouse.

Take My Home, Country Roads

Colorado’s poet laureate and one of the baby-boom generation’s favourite singers and songwriters, John Denver wrote and recorded over 300 songs from the 1960s into the ‘90s. Born in New Mexico in 1943 as Henry John Deutschendorf, John could have lived almost anywhere but chose Aspen overlooking the Rocky Mountains. He created his home, which he called “his sweet mountain paradise,” in 1970 and wrote about it in his song 'Starwood in Aspen.' After updating with major renovations and adding a bedroom, Denver’s former home is on the market, priced at $11 million.

Denver died in 1997 while piloting his new experimental aircraft. Among the most well-known of his approximately 300 recorded songs were the hits 'Take Me Home, Country Roads,' 'Rocky Mountain High' and 'Sunshine on My Shoulders.'