The Dresden Green Diamond is one of the rarest diamonds in the world, both in terms of its characteristics and of its provenance. Perhaps only the Hope Diamond can match its wonderfully documented history. It is a modified pear shape brilliant cut diamond weighing approximately 41 carats, and is the largest natural green diamond ever […]
Tag Archives: antique diamonds
Henry Morse (1826-1888) was a famous diamond cutter in Boston, who was responsible for major advancements in the science and skill of diamond cutting. He was taught by Dutch specialists, and although originally interested in cutting the largest diamond, he quickly moved to learning to cut the most beautiful diamond possible, even if that meant […]
The Shah Jahan diamond is a 56 carat table cut diamond, flat in general shape, perhaps (probably?) originally a cleavage piece that had been faceted. It is two inches long, but only one-eighth of an inch thick. It has two drill holes, to allow wire or cord to be passed through, enabling it to be […]
The Condé Pink Diamond (also known as Le Grand Condé) is a light pink pear-shaped stone of 9.01 carats, named after Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince of Condé. He was Commander of the French Army, and is believed to have been presented the diamond as a token of appreciation by King Louis XIII in […]
Although I find myself saying this a lot, the Beau Sancy must surely be one of the most beautiful diamonds in the world, a perfect combination of technical skill, artistic beauty, impeccable provenance and documented history. A modified pear shape double rose cut diamond, with the facets centred on an eight sided star, it weighs […]
The Alnatt is a 102 carat cushion cut diamond, named after its first known owner, Major Alfred Alnatt. It probably originated from South Africa, as most of the important yellow diamonds in the world come from there. Major Alnatt was a soldier, benefactor, sportsman and patron of the arts. He paid what was then a world […]
Reposing in the same gallery of the Louvre as the Regent Diamond, the Hortensia diamond is a wonderful stone which goes to show that even a flawed diamond can be breathtakingly beautiful. Weighing 20 carats, it is a lovely orangey-pink colour, cut into a five sided shape. It has a large crack extending from the […]
The Hope diamond is a 45 carat cushion cut diamond of deep greyish-blue colour, almost metallic blue, which for almost 60 years has been the star attraction in the Smithsonian Institute’s gem collection. It measures 1 inch by 7/8 inches by almost 1/2 inch. When exposed to short wave UV light, the Hope glows red […]
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 […]
Diamond crystals have been worn and admired since at least as far back as Roman times. They were worn in rings as status symbols and charms. At the time, however, they were not the sparkly objects we know today, but were left in their natural state; this was because of the belief that they would lose their magical properties […]
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