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The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carats diamond that has been famed for its great size since the 18th century. Extracted in the 17th century from the Kollur Mine in Guntur, India, the Hope Diamond is a blue diamond. Its exceptional size has revealed new information about the formation of diamonds.
The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106 carats (621.20 g), discovered at the Premier No.2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905. It was named after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine. In April 1905, it was put on sale in London, but despite considerable interest, it was still unsold after two years. In 1907, the Transvaal Colony government bought the Cullinan and Prime Minister Louis Botha presented it to Edward VII, the British king who reigned over the territory. It was then cut by Joseph Asscher & Co. in Amsterdam.
The Sancy, a pale yellow diamond of 55.23 carats (11.046 g), was once reputed to have belonged to the Mughals of antiquity, but it is more likely of Indian origin owing to its cut, which is unusual by Western standards. The stone has been owned by a number of important figures in European history, such as Charles the Bold, James VI and I, and the Astor family.
The Orlov, also often considered to be the same diamond known as The Great Mughal Diamond, is a large diamond of Indian origin, currently displayed as a part of the Diamond Fund collection of Moscow's Kremlin Armoury. It is described as having the shape and proportions of half a chicken's egg. In 1774, it was encrusted into the Imperial Sceptre of Russian Empress Catherine the Great.
The Deepdene is a 104.52 carats (20.904 g) yellow diamond widely considered to be the largest irradiated diamond in the world.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate gemstone quality. The institute does so through research, gem identification, diamond grading services, and a variety of educational programs. Through its library and subject experts, GIA acts as a resource of gem and jewelry information for the trade, the public and media outlets.
The Pumpkin Diamond is a diamond weighing 5.54 carats rated in color as Fancy Vivid Orange by the Gemological Institute of America. While this may seem small when compared to other famous diamonds, the Pumpkin Diamond is, in fact, one of the largest Fancy Vivid Oranges the GIA reports having rated and is unique compared to other orange diamonds because it is light-colored and notably intense. The Pumpkin Diamond was mined in Central African Republic and then imported into South Africa for sale, it was later cut and polished by William Goldberg, and put to auction at Sotheby's where it was bought by Ronald Winston of the House of Harry Winston for the price of $1.3 million. It is currently estimated to be valued at $3 million.
The Jubilee Diamond, originally known as the Reitz Diamond is a colourless, cushion-shaped diamond weighing 245.35 carats, making it the sixth largest diamond in the world. It was originally named after Francis William Reitz, the then president of the Orange Free State where the stone was discovered, before being renamed to honour the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1897.
The American Gem Society (AGS) is a trade association of retail jewelers, independent appraisers, suppliers, and selective industry members, which was founded in 1934 by Robert M. Shipley.
Harry Winston was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963 in exchange for 3,800 carats of small diamonds.
The Florentine Diamond is a lost diamond of Indian origin. It is light yellow in colour with very slight green overtones. It is cut in the form of an irregular nine-sided 126-facet double rose cut, with a weight of 137.27 carats. The stone is also known as the Tuscan, the Tuscany Diamond, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Austrian Diamond, Austrian Yellow Diamond, and the Dufner Diamond.
A gemstone desired to be used in jewelry is cut depending on the size and shape of the rough stone, as well as the desired piece of jewelry to be made. As a general rule, a cut gemstone will reduce the mass by about 50%.
The Tiffany Yellow Diamond is one of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered. Its carat weight was originally 287.42 carats in the rough when discovered in 1878 in the Kimberley mine in South Africa. It was cut into a cushion shape of 128.54 carats with 82 facets—24 more than a traditional round brilliant—to maximize its brilliance. The facet pattern features eight needle-like facets pointing outward from the culet (bottom) facet. Jewelry and diamond historian Herbert Tillander refers to this as a "stellar brilliant cut", and lists the gem in his book, Diamond Cuts in Historic Jewelry – 1381 to 1910 (1995), among other such diamonds: the Cullinan Diamond, the Koh-i-Noor, the Polar Star, the Wittelsbach, and others.
The Nassak Diamond is a large, 43.38 carats (8.676 g) Golconda Diamond that originated as a larger 89-carat diamond in the 15th century in India. Found in the Golconda mine of Kollur and originally cut in India, the diamond was the adornment in the Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple, near Nashik, in the state of Maharashtra, India from at least 1500 to 1817. The British East India Company captured the diamond through the Third Anglo-Maratha War and sold it to British jewellers Rundell and Bridge in 1818. Rundell and Bridge recut the diamond in 1818, after which it made its way into the handle of the 1st Marquess of Westminster's dress sword.
The Vargas Diamond, discovered in Brazil on August 13, 1938 by Joaquim Venancio Tiago and Manoel Miguel Domingues, was 726.6 carats (145.32 g) when pulled out of the ground. Twenty-nine smaller diamonds were carved from the larger rough Vargas Diamond including the 48.26-carat (9.652 g) emerald cut diamond named "President Vargas", after the former Brazilian president, Getúlio Vargas.
The English Dresden is a famous diamond found at the Bagagem mines in Minas Gerais in Brazil, in 1857 at about the same time as the equally celebrated Star of the South. It was a part separated by cleavage from a larger mass, and in the rough weighed 119.5 carats. What exactly became of the remaining portion is unknown, though Mr. Dresden suggests that it may have either been destroyed when taking it from the rock, or may have remained behind in its former itacolumite matrix.
The Winston Blue is the name given to what was the largest flawless vivid blue diamond bought by Harry Winston, Inc. on May 15, 2014, from an anonymous person for $23.8 million at Christie's Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale. The approximately $1.8003 million per carat price paid for the 13.22-carat diamond is a world record for a blue diamond. Harry Winston, Inc. had also bought a 101.73-carat colorless diamond named Winston Legacy at Christie's Geneva jewelry auction in 2013. The American luxury jeweler had then paid $26.7 million for the colorless diamond, which is a world record for the highest price paid per carat for a colorless diamond.
The "Star of the East" is a 94.78-carat, pear-shaped, D-color stone of VS2 clarity grade. Its exact origin is unknown, but it likely originated from India. The Star of the East diamond was part of the collection of jewels belonging to the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, who ruled between 1876 and 1909. The Star of the East was stolen from Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The exact circumstances under which the diamond came into the possession of the Sultan are not known. Even the origin of the name and at what point in its history it was christened remain a mystery. The diamond was part of the collection of the jewellery-loving Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Abdulhamid II. It was later acquired by Pierre Cartier, who sold it to Evalyn Walsh McLean. After McLean's death, Harry Winston purchased the diamond together with McLean's entire collection. The diamond's current whereabouts are unknown.
References
- ↑ "Jonker Diamond". InternetStones.COM. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ↑ "Coins and Treasures > The Jonker". 24hGold. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- 1 2 "Diamond Industry". Life . 15 January 1940. p. 62. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ↑ "Do you recognise these silver screen gems?". The Telegraph. London. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ↑ Kurin, Richard (28 February 2017). Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem. Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 9781588344199.
- ↑ "Jonker Diamond". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ↑ Ross, Lillian (2015). Reporting Always: Writings from The New Yorker. Simon & Schuster. p. 198. ISBN 9781501116001 . Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ↑ Hayden, Tyler (1 December 2023). "The Jonker Diamond: A Giant Gem of Many Facets". Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County . Retrieved 21 June 2024.