Famous Diamonds
By: Glenn Fournier | Posted: 25th January 2006
Among the most well known diamonds is the Hope. This 45.52 carat steel blue diamond is currently on display at the Smithsonian. The legends of the ill-fortune and curse bestowed on the possessor of the Hope Diamond are many. This diamond was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. The Hope was originally a rather flat, blocky 110-carat rough.
The Dresden Green stands out among the natural colored diamonds. It is the largest green diamond in the world weighing 40.70 carats. This diamond is historic, large and has a natural green color with a slight blue overtone. These facts make it virtually priceless.
The Conde Pink is a pear shaped and weighs 9.01-carats. This pink diamond was once owned by Louis XIII.
The Tiffany Yellow diamond a beautiful canary-yellow octahedron weighing 287.42 in the rough (metric) carats discovered in either 1877 or 1878 in South Africa. The gem after cutting boasts the extraordinary weight of 128.54 carats. And until recently, was the largest golden-yellow in the world.
The Koh-I-Noor ( Mountain of Light ) is now among the British Crown Jewels. This diamond weighs 105.60 carats. First mentioned in 1304, it is believed to have been once set in Shah Jehan's famous peacock throne as one of the peacocks eyes.
The Agra is graded as a naturally colored Fancy Light Pink and weighs 32.34 carats. It was sold for about 6.9 million in 1990. Since this sale, it has been modified to a cushion shape weighing about 28.15 carats.
The Transvaal Blue is pear cut. This blue diamond weighs 25 carats. It was found in the Premier Diamond Mine in Transvaal, South Africa.
The Great Chrysanthemum was discovered in the summer of 1963, in a South African diamond field. This 198.28-carat fancy brown diamond appeared to be a light honey color in its rough state. However, after cutting, it proved to be a rich golden brown, with overtones of sienna and burnt orange.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a pear-shaped 69.42 carat diamond. Cartier of New York purchased this diamond at an auction in 1969 and christened it "Cartier." The next day Richard Burton bought the diamond for Elizabeth Taylor. He renamed it the "Taylor-Burton". In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor put the diamond up for sale. Prospective buyers had to pay $2,500 each to view the diamond to cover the costs of showing it. Finally, in June of 1979, the diamond was sold for nearly $3 million dollars.
Other Famous Diamonds
The Allnatt Diamond
The Centenary Diamond
The Cullinan Diamond, the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found at 3106.75 carats
The Deepdene
The Dudley Diamond
The Eugenie Blue Diamond
The Excelsior Diamond
The Florentine Diamond
The Golden Jubilee, the largest faceted diamond ever cut at 545.67 carats
The Heart of Eternity Diamond, perhaps the largest Fancy Vivid Blue
The Hortensia Diamond
The Idol's Eye
The Millennium Star, the largest colorless (grade D), flawless diamond
The Great Mogul Diamond
The Moussaieff Red Diamond, the largest Fancy Vivid Red
The Ocean Dream Diamond, the only known natural Fancy Deep Blue-Green
The Orloff, an Indian rose cut rumored to have served as the eye of a Hindu statue
The Portuguese Diamond
The Premier Rose Diamond
The Pumpkin Diamond, perhaps the largest Fancy Vivid Orange
The Regent Diamond
The Steinmetz Pink Diamond, the largest Fancy Vivid Pink
The Sancy
The Star of the South
The Vargas
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Tags: colored diamonds, diamond mine, carats, yellow diamond, carat diamond