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Famous Diamonds - Sell Diamonds
While jewelry in general has mesmerized people for centuries certain pieces have obtained legendary status. Diamonds in particular hold a special fascination for many people, especially large or uniquely colored stones. So which diamonds are considered the most renowned in the world?
The Hope (or Blue Hope) Diamond is very well known. It is over 45 carats and blue. The diamond originally came from India and was once owned by Louis XIV. Today it is housed in the Smithsonian Institution.
The world’s largest diamond is the Cullinan. It was 3,106 carats and was cut into 105 different diamonds. The largest of the gems from the Cullinan is the Star of Africa. It is 503 carats alone and was given to King Edward VII of England in 1907. It was placed in the Royal Scepter and is now housed, with the rest of England’s Crown Jewels, in the Tower of London. Another stone from the Cullinan is the Cullinan II. The white, cushion-shaped diamond is over 317 carats. It too is now part of the British Crown Jewels.
Part of the Iranian Treasure, the Dary-i-Nur is a 186 carat pink diamond. The diamond’s name means sea of light and it is the largest uncut diamond in the world.
Another diamond famous for its color is the Dresden Green. A rare type of IIa diamond, it is very high quality and 41 carats in size. It is named for its color and the city in Germany where it has been on display for more than 200 years.
Housed in the Louvre in Paris, the Hortensia diamond has a peach color and is 20 carats. Like the Hope Diamond it was once owned by King Louis XIV of France and is still one of France’s crown jewels. The diamond took its name from Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland. The Queen was the daughter of France’s Empress Josephine and the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. Her son was Napoleon III.
Another diamond found in Britain’s Tower of London is the Kohinoor. The name means mountain of light and the white diamond is more than 108 carats. The Kohinoor is believed to have come from another diamond, the Great Mogul, which mysteriously disappeared in 1665. The Great Mogul was reported to be 244 carats.
Once confused with the Great Mogul, the Orloff diamond is more than 189 carats, although it was believed to be 300 carats originally. It was once owned by Prince Gregory Orloff who gave it to Catherine the Great of Russia. It is now in the Russian Diamond Fund in Moscow.
The Spoonmaker or Kasicki Diamond has had a long history. Bought from the Maharajah of Madras in India, Casanova tried to purchase it at auction. It was finally bought by Napoleon’s mother who later sold it to fund his escape from Elba. Today it is in the Palace of Turkey.
Once known as the Cartier Diamond, the Taylor-Burton Diamond was renamed by Elizabeth Taylor. The 69-carat, white gem is pear-shaped and was purchased for her by her then husband Richard Burton. She later sold the diamond in 1978 and built a hospital in Botswana with the money from the sale.
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