Some of the world’s most famous diamonds are not as bright “in the flesh” as they may seem in photographs. A visit to the Tower of London to see the Star of Africa is slightly disappointing, as the high security means that the light is poor, and the diamond fails to sparkle as well as […]
Tag Archives: engagement rings
The name “Golconda” leaves even experienced diamond dealers struggling to describe the beauty and magnificence that these stones exhibit. They are among the whitest and purest diamonds in the world, and are incredibly rare. The Golconda region is in small corner of India, near the region of Hyderabad. For many years, until discoveries in Brazil […]
Sapphires have been known and loved by people for thousands of years. The Ancient Greeks believed that the world’s first ring contained a sapphire. Rulers of Ancient Persia believed that the sky had been painted blue by the reflection of sapphires. Others wore it for protection while travelling. They have a life and depth of […]
Of all the famous diamonds in the world, the most impressive is surely the Star of Africa, also known as Cullinan I, after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine in which it was found. The person who found the diamond itself was a man called Frederick Wells. One evening, while on an inspection […]
The most common cut nowadays is the round brilliant cut. This is generally based on the mathematical model established by Towkolsky in 1919. However, this cut was known at least as far back as 1564, when the term was introduced in France. In 1691, an inventory of the diamonds of Louis XIV was compiled, which […]
According to the legend, the Orloff Diamond, at one time the third largest cut diamond in the world, was set in the eye of the Hindu god Sri-Ranga in a temple in Srirangem, in southern India. (Many diamonds share this same past, it seems that at one time or another almost all the famous diamonds […]