Famous Diamonds
Explore the mysterious world of diamonds. Fact, fiction, and legend blend throughout the fascinating tales and travels of these magnificent gems. With their origins in mines, rivers, and fields, read along to discover where they went, who they adorned, and, whenever possible, where they are now. Choose from the Famous Diamonds pictorial glossary below or the sidebar menu on the left to begin your diamond-studded adventure.
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Like many historical diamonds, the Agra’s saga is a familiar combination of fact and legend, leaving the reader with the challenging task of choosing what is indeed its true story. Regardless,...
Unfortunately, the history of famous diamonds is not without its list of casualties. In this category are those magnificent stones that somehow could not escape the fate of enduring such calamities as...
This stone enjoys the distinction of being the twelfth largest “perfect” diamond in the world. Named for a military man of royal blood, this diamond followed a long history of courting danger,...
One could rightfully call this stone the Rodney Dangerfield of diamonds. Almost from the moment of its discovery, this diamond has gotten positively no respect from the jewelry world. Even after...
This diamond‘s name is taken from its first recorded French owner, Nicolas Harlay de Sancy, a fancier of fine gems who just happened to be King Henri IV’s exceptionally talented Minister...
To paraphrase Charles Dickens, this is a tale of two diamonds. Purportedly cut from the same stone that produced the Hope Diamond, this diamond’s path through history turned out quite differently from...
If ever fate has lent a hand in determining the course of a diamond‘s story, it is this one. Just a few seemingly random events combined to influence its path through...
It was the late afternoon of January 25, 1905. Employees at the Premier Diamond Mine in the British African colony of Transvaal were finishing up for the day when their...
Darya-ye-Noor, translating “river of light” or “sea of light”, is the product of an undocumented – but what some might call happy- accident. The Darya-ye-Noor is believed to be a...
Labeled as the greatest example of a naturally green colored diamond, the Dresden Green survives today because of the preparedness of its former owners and a healthy combination of good timing...
Although these two diamonds are often spoken about in the same breath, no two stones could be more different – not only in their color and size but, more importantly,...