What’s in a name? When that moniker is Golconda, we conjure up images of bejeweled princes, amazing diamonds, fabulous wealth, its history reads like the Indian equivalent of the “Thousand and One Arabian Nights”. ¹ What follows is the story of one of the many legendary diamonds from the historic Golconda mines of India. The rarity of the Farnese diamond lies not only in its Golconda origin and its grey-blue color but also in the longevity of its royal provenance. The tale begins hundreds of years ago with intrepid voyagers bravely seeking lands and discoveries as yet undreamed of. These great travelers, including Marco Polo (1254-1324), Niccolo de Conti (fifteenth century), Fernao Nunes, Domingos Paes, Jan Huyghen van Linschoten and others, brought back wild, fanciful tales and vivid, if not mythical, accounts of the region. ² The result was that the name Golconda came to be synonymous with great riches. In many regions of the world, miners invoked the name in the hopes of recreating the magic along with the hope of untold wealth lurking beneath their feet. ¹

Diamonds were the most important export of the region drawing traders from across all of Asia and Europe. One of the most famous of these was Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689). His voyages to India on behalf of Cardinal Mazarin and King Louis XIV resulted in a two-volume tome entitled Voyages. He recounts visits to Kollur, Ramallakota, and Sambalpur.

…the diamond is the most precious of all stones, and it is the article for trade to which I am most devoted. In order to acquire a thorough knowledge of it, I resolved to visit all the mines, and one of the two rivers where diamonds were found; and as the fear of dangers has never restrained me in any of my journeys, the terrible picture that was drawn of these mines, situated in barbarous countries to which one could not travel except by the most dangerous routes, served neither to terrify me not to turn me from my intention.³

Tavernier and his successors were responsible for the distribution of Golconda diamonds throughout the world. Golconda remained the most important historical source for diamonds until the discovery of diamonds in Brazil c.1725. ⁴

In 1715 King Philip V of Spain found himself in need of a wife and the political atmosphere of Europe at the time required her to be royal but not powerful. Elisabeth Farnese, a princess from the small Duchy of Parma was chosen for the honor. She was the daughter of the Duke/Prince of Parma (Odoardo Farnese, hereditary heir to the Duchy of Parma) and Dorthea Sophie of Neuburg. Her pedigree was perfect, royal, but poor. Her father, the Duke, was unable to provide Elisabeth with an appropriate dowry (as was the custom at the time). In an attempt to correct this inequity for their new queen, the Spanish colonies were ordered by the government to present the newlyweds with lavish wedding gifts. The bountiful ‘gifts’ were amassed from the far-flung Spanish colonies and a Golden Fleet, bound for Madrid, left Cuba in August of 1718 comprised of twelve ships laden with treasures of gold and gems. Only one ship of the fleet made it to Spain: the others were lost in a hurricane in the Gulf of Florida.  This ship carried a very special gift from the Philippine Governor: a 6.16 ct. Fancy Dark Grey-Blue pear-shaped diamond.

The diamond was kept a virtual secret from the rest of the world (stored in a royal casket), handed down through Elisabeth’s descendants. King Philip V and Elisabeth had 7 children and worked tirelessly to ensure their places in the world. It is believed that Elisabeth entrusted the diamond to her favorite son Philip when he inherited the Duchy of Parma thereby becoming the founder of the House of Bourbon-Parma. He bequeathed the stone to his son Ferdinand who passed it to his son Louis King of Etruria. Upon his death, along with the crown of Etruria, the diamond passed to his son Charles Louis (King Louis II). He set the diamond in a tie pin. Through a series of misadventures, revolutions. and abdications, Charles Louis became the Comte de Villafranca in exile.

Comte de Villafranca kept the diamond safe with him until his death in 1883 when it passed to his grandson Robert, last ruling Duke of Parma (1848-1907). In 1859 Duke Robert and his regent Duchess Louise left Parma forever. They found refuge with Robert’s cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph (1830-1916). Having lost his crown he hadn’t lost his fortune and was still a very rich man. Robert married twice with each of his wives bearing him 12 children. The diamond passed to his son, Prince Elia (1880-1959). His wife, Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (1882-1940), had an immense jewelry collection that she personally inventoried (leaving history with a treasure trove of information regarding the provenance of her vast and historical jewelry collection). One item in that storied inventory was a tiara set with diamonds once owned by Marie Antoinette. Maria Anna had the pear-shaped blue diamond (still mounted as a tie pin and wearable as such) added to the tiara, wearing it openly and often. The note she placed in the box with the diamond, written in her own hand (in French) translates:

Remarkable blue brilliant. This historical stone was offered by the Philippine Islands to Elisabeth Farnese, Queen of Spain, wife of Philippe V, great grandfather of the Comte of Villafranca, current owner of that stone.⁵

The tiara is also inventoried:

A large red leather case with the initials M.A. and a crown, containing a large diamond tiara. This tiara can also be worn as a belt, or a small diadem and a necklace. The blue diamond which is part of it is from the family jewels (list A). This tiara, mounted as a belt, comes as it is from Queen Marie Antoinette and was given by Marie-Thérèse of France, Duchess of Angouleme, Countess of Marnes, to her niece and adoptive daughter, Louise of France, Duchess of Parma, who passed it onto her son, Robert I, Duke of Parma. He gifted it to his wife, the Duchess Maria-Pia. The tiara, or belt, was given to me as a wedding gift, by my brothers and sisters-in-law, the Duchess Maria-Pia’s children.⁶

Following the fall of the Austrian Empire in 1918, the diamond disappeared, only to reappear in 2018 set in a colorless diamond surround on a detachable mounting. It sold at auction in May 2018 at Sotheby’s Geneva for CHF 6.7 million. Along with its amazing provenance, the diamond is also accompanied by a GIA report stating that the diamond is Fancy Dark Grey-Blue, Natural Color, SI1 Clarity.⁷

Sources

• Diamond, Jessica. “The Golconda Treasure that Enchanted a Queen.” Sotheby’s, May 1, 2018. Accessed 1/19/22.
• Khalidi, Omar.  Romance of the Golconda Diamonds, Middletown New Jersey: Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 1999.
• Meylan, Vincent. “The Farnese Blue Diamond: Three Centuries of History.” Sotheby’s, Jewelry, March 28, 2018, Accessed 7/24/24.
• Sotheby’s. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels: 15 May 218, Geneva.  “Historic and Highly Important Fancy Dark Grey-Blue Diamond Jewel.” Lot 377. Accessed 07/24/24.