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World Famous Diamonds
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Published: July 25, 2006
Known for its unusually large size, the Golden Jubilee weighs 545.67 carats and remains the largest faceted diamond in the world. Less than twenty times its size is the 30.82 carat Blue Heart, which is known for its rare color instead of its weight. Both stones are vastly different in appearance but what they both have in common, though, is that their superior characteristics remain among the most rare and unique of all diamonds.
Here are some of the world's most famous diamonds:
Arguably the most widely known diamond in the world is the Hope Diamond. Distinguished by its steel blue/gray color as well as its current setting of a cushion shape surrounded by 16 white diamonds and held on a chain of 45 white diamonds, it is not to be confused with the 'Heart of the Ocean' diamond, which it closely resembles. The difference between the two diamonds lies both in their shape, the Hope is a cushion while the other is a heart shape, and their weight, as the 'Heart of the Ocean' is considerably larger than the Hope.
Originally a flat, blocky 110 carat stone, the Hope was found in India by Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French traveler of the 17th Century. Legend of its origin also holds that it came from an eye of an idol in a temple on the Coleroon River in India. It was first owned by Louis XIV, who then gave it to Madame de Montespan. Its history also includes being royally discarded, years of disappearance, being sadly mistaken for costume jewelry, and having remained under the care of an unfortunate series of numerous owners with bad luck. Throughout time it has also been transformed from its bulky original state of over 100 carats into a triangular pear shape of a considerably smaller 68 carat weight and then yet again into the 45.52 carat stone that it remains today. A common misconception with the Hope diamond is that it is the largest diamond in the world. In actuality, while it is the largest dark blue diamond, it is only the fourth largest blue diamond as the others are all of lighter shades.
The Tiffany Yellow is another famous diamond that has been owned by the famous Tiffany & Co. jewelry store chain since its founding in either 1877 or 1878. It was among the first diamonds ever purchased by the jeweler, who was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837, and has since grown to become one of the main symbols that distinguishes the jeweler from all others. From its original location in India, the Tiffany Yellow was once 287.42 carats in its rough form and currently remains 77 carats in weight.
The Cullinan, which is the largest diamond crystal ever found, was named after the owner of the South American mining company who discovered it. Originally an incredible 3106 carats, it has been cut into 105 stones. The largest of these is the Star of Africa diamond, which is 530 carats in weight and remains the largest cut diamond in the world. The stone has been in royal care taking since 1907 when it was given to King Edward VII and is currently kept in the Tower of London with the other British jewels.
The famous diamond Excelsior, whose name means higher, for its shape that is relatively flat on one side and rises to a peak on the other, was discovered in 1893 by an African mine worker. Originally weighing 995 carats, it has since been cut into to 21 different stones, the largest of which is 69 carats.
The Taylor-Burton diamond was originally known as the Cartier diamond, after Cartier, Inc. purchased it at the record price of $1,050,000 at an auction. Surprisingly the diamond sold the very next day to Richard Burton, who bought the already famous diamond for Elizabeth Taylor and was renamed as the Taylor-Burton diamond. Taylor sold the diamond in 1978 to gain funding for the construction of a Botswana hospital.
The Dresden Green is the largest green diamond in the world, with a weight of 40.70 carats. It is known for its natural green color with slight blue overtone, and is often referred to as the sister to the Hope Diamond due to their close match in size, color and historical importance. Its name comes from the capitol of Saxony, where it has been on display for over 200 years. It has the potential of being internally flawless as its intrusions remain on its outer surface, where a slight re-cutting could remove them. There is no record of the founding date of the diamond, but it is believed to have been first owned by King George I, who ruled from 1714-1727. It was also owned by Frederick Augustus, who was known for constructing some of Dresden's great historical buildings. He set aside specific rooms for jewels in the Dresden Castle and the Dresden Green became among the jewelry pieces contained within a collection he named the green vault. This famous diamond still remains on display in Dresden.
The Conde Pink is a pear shaped 9.01 carat famous diamond which still remains one of the most unusual pink-colored diamonds in the world. Once owned by Louis XIII in 1643, the king later presented it to Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde. The diamond remained in the possession of this royal family until Duc de Atumale returned it to the French government in 1892. It is currently on display at the Musee de Conde in Chantillly, France.
Arguably the most widely known diamond in the world is the Hope Diamond. Distinguished by its steel blue/gray color as well as its current setting of a cushion shape surrounded by 16 white diamonds and held on a chain of 45 white diamonds, it is not to be confused with the 'Heart of the Ocean' diamond, which it closely resembles. The difference between the two diamonds lies both in their shape, the Hope is a cushion while the other is a heart shape, and their weight, as the 'Heart of the Ocean' is considerably larger than the Hope.
Originally a flat, blocky 110 carat stone, the Hope was found in India by Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a French traveler of the 17th Century. Legend of its origin also holds that it came from an eye of an idol in a temple on the Coleroon River in India. It was first owned by Louis XIV, who then gave it to Madame de Montespan. Its history also includes being royally discarded, years of disappearance, being sadly mistaken for costume jewelry, and having remained under the care of an unfortunate series of numerous owners with bad luck. Throughout time it has also been transformed from its bulky original state of over 100 carats into a triangular pear shape of a considerably smaller 68 carat weight and then yet again into the 45.52 carat stone that it remains today. A common misconception with the Hope diamond is that it is the largest diamond in the world. In actuality, while it is the largest dark blue diamond, it is only the fourth largest blue diamond as the others are all of lighter shades.
The Tiffany Yellow is another famous diamond that has been owned by the famous Tiffany & Co. jewelry store chain since its founding in either 1877 or 1878. It was among the first diamonds ever purchased by the jeweler, who was founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany in 1837, and has since grown to become one of the main symbols that distinguishes the jeweler from all others. From its original location in India, the Tiffany Yellow was once 287.42 carats in its rough form and currently remains 77 carats in weight.
The Cullinan, which is the largest diamond crystal ever found, was named after the owner of the South American mining company who discovered it. Originally an incredible 3106 carats, it has been cut into 105 stones. The largest of these is the Star of Africa diamond, which is 530 carats in weight and remains the largest cut diamond in the world. The stone has been in royal care taking since 1907 when it was given to King Edward VII and is currently kept in the Tower of London with the other British jewels.
The famous diamond Excelsior, whose name means higher, for its shape that is relatively flat on one side and rises to a peak on the other, was discovered in 1893 by an African mine worker. Originally weighing 995 carats, it has since been cut into to 21 different stones, the largest of which is 69 carats.
The Taylor-Burton diamond was originally known as the Cartier diamond, after Cartier, Inc. purchased it at the record price of $1,050,000 at an auction. Surprisingly the diamond sold the very next day to Richard Burton, who bought the already famous diamond for Elizabeth Taylor and was renamed as the Taylor-Burton diamond. Taylor sold the diamond in 1978 to gain funding for the construction of a Botswana hospital.
The Dresden Green is the largest green diamond in the world, with a weight of 40.70 carats. It is known for its natural green color with slight blue overtone, and is often referred to as the sister to the Hope Diamond due to their close match in size, color and historical importance. Its name comes from the capitol of Saxony, where it has been on display for over 200 years. It has the potential of being internally flawless as its intrusions remain on its outer surface, where a slight re-cutting could remove them. There is no record of the founding date of the diamond, but it is believed to have been first owned by King George I, who ruled from 1714-1727. It was also owned by Frederick Augustus, who was known for constructing some of Dresden's great historical buildings. He set aside specific rooms for jewels in the Dresden Castle and the Dresden Green became among the jewelry pieces contained within a collection he named the green vault. This famous diamond still remains on display in Dresden.
The Conde Pink is a pear shaped 9.01 carat famous diamond which still remains one of the most unusual pink-colored diamonds in the world. Once owned by Louis XIII in 1643, the king later presented it to Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde. The diamond remained in the possession of this royal family until Duc de Atumale returned it to the French government in 1892. It is currently on display at the Musee de Conde in Chantillly, France.
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