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Ten of the Most Famous Diamonds and Who Owns Them


There are much more than 3 hundred fifty named diamonds famous for their histories.

The Cullinan, is the largest cut diamond in the world. It was discovered in South Africa and was named for the proprietor of the mining business. The Cullinan diamond was 3106 carats, and was cut into 105 beautiful diamonds. The largest was named the “Star of Africa” and is 530 carats by by itself. In 1907 this diamond was given to King Edward VII of England, and set into the Royal Scepter. It is kept, along with the other Crown Jewels, safely in the Tower of London.

The Cullinan II is 317.forty carats. The colour is white and is the cushion-shaped diamond in the middle-front of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. It is also in the Tower of London with the British Crown Jewels.

The Dary-i-Nur is 186 carats, is pink and is in the Iranian Treasury. It is the largest uncut diamond in the world. Its name means “Sea of Light”.

The Dresden Green is 41 carats it is green, and a very uncommon kind ila diamond of extraordinary high quality. It gets its name from the town of Saxony where it had been on display for 200 many years. The Dresden Green is now on display at the Albertinium Museum in Dresden.

The Hope Diamond is 45.52 carats, is blue, and is in the Smithsonian Institute. According to legend, a curse was placed on the large, blue diamond after it was stolen from an idol in India. Whether you believe in curses or not, the diamond has had a intriguing previous ? it was owned by King Louis XIV, stolen throughout the French Revolution, offered to pay gambling debts, owned and worn almost daily by an American heiress, offered and worn to raise cash for charity, and lastly donated to the Smithsonian Museum.

The Hortensia is 20 carats, is peach colored and is in the Louvre. It is 1 of the crown Jewels of France, and was owned by Louis XIV. It was named after Hortense de Beauharnais, Queen of Holland, who was the daughter of the Empress Josephine, the stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the mom of Napoleon III.

The Kohinoor is 108.93 carats, white and is located in the Tower of London. As with many of the most famous diamonds, there is a curse of death and destruction attached to it. Its name means “Mountain of Light” and legend has it that it actually arrives from another diamond also rife with legend, known as the “Great Mogul” which was stated to have weighed 244 carats and mysteriously disappeared in 1665. The Kohinoor was owned by the initial sultan of Mogul, and handed down through generations, until it was given to Queen Victoria. It was recut and now rests in the crown of Queen Elizabeth.

The Orloff is 189.62 carats. It is believed to have weighed about 300 carats when it was found. For a while, it was baffled with the Great Mogul diamond. 1 of the legends of the Orloff is that it was set in the eye of a god statue in the temple of Sri Rangen, and stolen by a French soldier dressed up like a Hindu. He is stated to have escaped by swimming down a raging river throughout a storm. It was ultimately offered to Prince Gregory Orloff. In an try to win back again her heart, he gave it to Catherine the Great, who collected lovers and precious gems with equal passion. She had the diamond mounted on top of the double eagle in the Imperial scepter. It is in the Russian Diamond Fund, Moscow.

The Spoonmaker Diamond has many legends associated with it. (It supposedly got its name when the proprietor–who is stated to have discovered it sitting on top of a pile of rubbish –bartered it to a spoonmaker for 3 wooden spoons.) More most likely is that it was purchased by a Frenchman named Pikot, who bought it from the Maharajah of Madras in India. He took it to France, but was robbed. The diamond ended up at an auction, and was bid on by the notorious Casanova. It was lastly bought by Napoleon’s mom, Letizia Ramolino, who later on offered her jewellery to help her son escape from Elba. It was bought again by an officer of Tepedelenli, and place into the treasury. When Tepedelenli was killed throughout a revolt, the whole treasury went to the Palace of Turkey, and the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, now known as the “Kasicki” is there.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a 69 carat pear-shaped white diamond that was originally known as the “Cartier Diamond” after the jeweler paid $1,050,000 for it at an auction. Richard Burton purchased it the day after the auction for Elizabeth Taylor. She later on renamed it the Taylor-Burton diamond. Ms. Taylor wore the diamond publicly at a celebration for Princess Grace’s 40th birthday celebration in Monaco. She offered the diamond in 1978 and utilized the money to build a hospital in Botswana. The diamond was later on purchased by Robert Mouawad.

Read more about Diamond Myths, Legends cff0478#038; History at HomeGiftShopper.com

© 2005, Kathy Uses up-Millyard. This write-up is provided courtesy of Home Gift Shopper: A premier resource for quality Gift Ideas. This write-up may be republished as lengthy as it remains unchanged, this discover stays intact, and all links are produced live.










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