Famous Diamonds
There is little consensus as to which diamonds are the world's most renowned. However, a handful of stones do manage to attain a certain level of ubiquity among top-ten lists. The Centenary, cut and polished by Gabrielle Diamond® mastermind Gabi Tolkowsky, ranks right along side such famous stones as the Hope Diamond and the Great Star of Africa. Here is a list of the world's ten most famous diamonds, along with the stories that made their names so memorable.
1. Koh-I-Noor ("Mountain of Light") This legendary 105.6-carat diamond dates back at least to 1304, when it was first mentioned, and can boast the most ancient history of all the famous diamonds. Currently part of the British Crown Jewels on view at the Tower of London, the Koh-I-Noor is originally from India. As legend has it, the diamond was part of Shah Jehan's throne, and weighed 186 carats in its crudely cut state. After the diamond as presented to Queen Victoria, it was carved down to its present size to achieve the desired proportions.
2. The Great Star of Africa is the largest of the stones cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan, the biggest diamond ever found. At 530.20 carats, the Great Star of Africa is the world's second largest cut diamond. After it was discovered at the Premier Mine in 1905, the diamond was cut in 1908 and set into the scepter of King Edward VII. The scepter is kept at the Tower of London along with the rest of the British Crown Jewels.
3. The Centenary, designed and cut by master diamond cutter Gabi Tolkowsky and his team, is the world's largest flawless, colorless, modern-cut diamond. It was named the Centenary because its 1988 discovery at DeBeers' Premier Mine coincided with the DeBeers' centennial. Tolkowsky spent nearly three years cutting the Centenary, which weighed 599 carats in the rough, to its current 273.85-carat proportions. The diamond was unveiled in 1991, at the Tower of London. In 1999, the Centenary was sold to an anonymous buyer for a sum estimated at $90-100 million. No one has seen the diamond since.
4. The Sancy has a history that is as illustrious as it is long. Weighing in at 55 carats, this diamond originated in India. The stone was in Constantinople in 1570, where French Ambassador Nicolas Harlay de Sancy bought it, endowing it with its current moniker. Purchased by England's reigning Stuart family, the Sancy has since been in the possession of France's King Louis XIV, Russia's Prince Demidoff and England's Lady Astor, to name but a few. Today, it is displayed in Paris' Louvre museum.
5. The Regent played a prominent role in French history. Discovered in 1701, the Regent weighed 410 carats in the rough. English Prime Minister William Pitt bought the diamond, had it cut into a 140.50-carat cushion-shaped brilliant and named it the Pitt. The diamond was renamed The Regent after it was set in the crown of Louis XV and given to him on the day of his coronation. After the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte assumed ownership of the stone and set it into his sword. Today, The Regent can be found at the Louvre.
6. The Idol's Eye is a flattened, pear-shaped diamond weighing 70.20 carats, and gets its name from a legend that it was originally set in the eye of an idol. Another tale casts the diamond in the role of the ransom the Sheik of Kashmir paid to the Sultan of Turkey in exchange for Princess Rasheetah, whom the Sultan had kidnapped. More recent and considerably better substantiated stories place the diamond in the hands of the 34th Ottoman Sultan, Adal Hamid II, Harry Winston, and Denver Post heiress May Bonfils Stanton
7. The Blue Hope diamond holds the most fascination for the general public, in part because of the curse that it is said to carry. The 45.52-carat diamond got its name from Henry Philip Hope, who bought the stone after it turned up in London in 1830. Originally, however, the diamond belonged to France's King Louis XIV and was known as the "blue diamond of the crown." The Hope diamond picked up its accursed reputation after being stolen during the French Revolution. As the story goes, all who have owned the diamond, from the Hope family on down, have suffered tremendous misfortune. Today, the stone is on permanent display at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
8. The Golden Jubilee, also designed and cut by the world-renowned Gabi Tolkowsky and his team, is a wonder of the modern diamond world. A fancy intense yellow-brown 545.67-carat diamond (approximately the size of a baseball), the Golden Jubilee was unveiled in 1995 and has since been certified as the world's largest polished diamond. The legendary Tolkowsky took three years to cut the stone. Bought by a group of businessmen, the diamond was presented to Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej in honor of his 50th year on the throne. Currently, the Golden Jubilee diamond is mounted in the Thai Royal Sceptre.
9. The Taylor-Burton recalls one of the great romances of the 20th Century'that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Cut into a 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond from 240.80 carats of rough diamond, the Taylor-Burton had no name until 1969, when Cartier bought it at auction and called it the "Cartier." That appellation, however, proved to be short-lived. The very next day, Richard Burton bought the diamond for his then-wife Elizabeth Taylor, renaming it the Taylor-Burton. Elizabeth Taylor made international headlines that year when she was photographed wearing the stunning Taylor-Burton as a pendant at Princess Grace's 40th Birthday gala in Monaco. After the Taylor-Burton divorce, Elizabeth Taylor sold the diamond for $5 million to raise money for a hospital being erected in Botswana.
10. The Orloff is a 186.60-carat diamond with somewhat mysterious origins. Rumored to have been set in the eye of an idol in an ancient Hindu temple and stolen by a French officer disguised as a Hindu, the Orloff is known to be the world's fourth largest diamond. After changing hands in Europe, the Orloff was finally purchased by its namesake, Count Gregory Orlov. The Count then presented the diamond to Catherine the Great. Today, the Orloff can be found amongst the treasures in the Russian Diamond Fund.