The Colenso Diamond is an uncut octahedral 133 carat diamond, found in South Africa in 1883, (most likely in the De Beers mine). It was one of the earliest notable large diamonds found there. The story of how it was found is most tragic; a storekeeper South Africa left his shop and went into the […]
Author Archives: Weldons
A Rose Cut diamond is an antique cut, dating back to the early 1500s; it has a flat bottom and a faceted crown. Typically, the flat bottom is a cleavage plain, and the crown is cut with triangular facets rising to a point. They normally have 3 or 6 way symmetry; an optical effect of […]
A rather magical part of the antiques world is the connection that pieces can have to people and events of the past, and jewellery is no exception. Some pieces can have greatly changed the world around them, perhaps never more so than in the “Affair of the Necklace”, which was one of the events that […]
During the invasion of Spain in the early 1800s, the King of Spain, Charles IV, knew that Napoleon’s march on Madrid was not going to be stopped. So, for security, he had the Crown Jewels of Spain and a priceless collection of clocks walled up in two of the 365 rooms of the Royal Palace […]
A whopping 890 carats in its rough form, the Incomparable Diamond is among the largest flawless diamonds ever discovered. It was found in the 1980s, by a young girl playing in a pile of building rubble outside her uncle’s house. The rubble had come from a nearly mine, and had been rejected for being too bulky […]
Mellerio is a French jewellery house, based in Paris, which claims to be the oldest jewellers in the world. Originally from Lombardia in Italy, their lineage has been traced back as far as the 11th century. Originally just “Mellerio”, customers found it easier to shorten the name to Meller, so one often finds the name […]
One of the more mysterious diamonds in history, the story of the Brunswick Blue is an intriguing one, with unusual gaps in the story and tantalising links to one of the most famous diamonds in the world! The backstory begins with the French Blue, a 115 carat rough diamond of a most wonderful metallic-blue shade. It […]
We sometimes get asked how to learn about diamonds and the jewellery business; where does one learn about diamonds, and pick up the formal training in the study of them? The diamond business is largely private, for understandable reasons. Most shops are family businesses, so on-the-job training is hard to come by. The gold standard qualification in […]
Despite its name, it would appear that this wonderful 127 carat octagonal cut diamond has no connection to Portugal, but instead is of South African origin. Its name comes from a rumour that it once formed part of the Portuguese crown jewels (in the 18th century) but there is no proof of this. It is […]
We have a wonderful collection of research books at Weldon’s, including some of the most beautiful publications in the world. Here is a quick look inside some of our favourites! They cover everything from the technical aspects and nuances of diamond grading, to the art and beauty of jewellery as fashion items. A few are […]