KlokWurX : Tales of Gems & Jewel Lore

KlokWurX Information

Tales of GEMS and JEWEL Lore

The stories below give only a 'taster' for the facts and figures surrounding famous Gems, ... it being a subject which has fascinated observers for centuries.
Each major stone that enters private hands represents a serious statement of wealth and power about it's owner. Over the centuries each such stone has attracted the attention of not only the most powerful people of that time, ...but also those who desired to be such. Thus it is that many famous stones have a fascinating history of intrigue, political machinations, and even murder and death surrounding them.

To paraphrase a famous saying ..."absolute wealth corrupts absolutely" and absolute wealth is nowhere more typified than in the possession of fabulous Gems.

There are many excellent books and websites dedicated to this subject and we could prepare a whole page just listing 'some' of them. But, if we were to pick just one from which to start it would have to be the "Famous Diamonds" site. This truly is a storehouse of information relating to the famous Gems of our time.

You can visit the "Famous Diamonds" site, when you are finished with our stories below, by clicking HERE.

If you would like to learn more about Diamonds, and especially how they are cut and facetted ... click HERE

Blue Heart

Cullinan Diamond
as found

?Frederick Wells?
Mine Superintendant

Cullinan-1 as cut
Image from the "Famous Diamonds" site as mentioned above

THE LORE of FAMOUS GEMS

Some of the largest Gem roughs ever found and their original weights (in carats)

Cullinan	3106.00	Jubilee (or Reitz)	650.80
Excelsior	995.20	Dutoirspan	616.00
Star of Sierra Leone	968.90	Baumgold	609.00
Great Mogul	787.50	Lesotbo	601.25
Woyie River	770.00	Centenary	599.00
President Vargas	726.60	Nizani	440.00
Jonker	726.00	De Beers	428.50

AKBAR SHAH

A fine diamond which weighed 116 carats rough: 75 carats cut and 71 carats re-cut.
According to legend this stone was one of the eyes of the PEACOCK THRONE of the GREAT MOGULS.
It was named after SHAH AKBAR, grandfather of SHAH JEHAN of TAJ MAHAL fame.
The names of the Shah's Akbar and Jehan were inscribed in Arabic upon the gem, a gesture which helped to identify it in 1866 in Constantinople after its disappearance during the early 18th Century.
It was purchased at that time (1866) under the name of the SHEPHERD STONE by a London merchant who re-cut it to 71 carats, thus removing the inscribed names.
It was then sold for circa Ł35,000 to the GAEKWAR of BARODA. As far as we can ascertain this was not one of the stones subsequently sold by the successors of the Gaekwar, and we are uncertain of it's present whereabouts.

BLUE HEART (sometimes erroneously "Eugenie Blue")

Some reports refer to the Blue Heart Diamond as the "Eugenie Blue", but there appears to be no evidence whatsoever that the Empress Eugenie ever owned this gem.
The origins of this stone are unclear before about 1908, and it's source is likewise unconvincing. Whether this stone originated in Africa or India is not known, but given that the other colourful gems of note have originated from Asia, we believe that might slightly tilt the balance (55:45)% in favour of India as being the likely origin.
The French cutting firm Atanik Ekyanan of Neuilly, Paris cut this heart shape, which weighs 30.62 metric carats and is of a rare deep blue color, sometime between 1909 and 1910.
In 1910 Cartier purchased the diamond and sold it to a Mrs Unzue of Argentina.
At the time, it was set in a lily-of-the-valley corsage and remained so until Van Cleef & Arpels bought the gem in 1953.
They exhibited it set in the pendant of a necklace on offer at $300,000, and it was sold to an un-named member of the European aristocracy.
In 1959 Harry Winston acquired the gem and had it mounjed in a ring which he sold five years later to Marjorie Merriweather Post.
Mrs. Post donated the Blue Heart to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. where it remains to this day.

CULINAN (Star of Africa)

The centrepiece of the UK Crown Jewels

In 1905, Mr. Frederick Wells, superintendent of South Africa's Premier Mine spotted what he initially thought to be a large piece of glass protruding from one of the high level walls of the mine. He first thought it had been 'planted' as a joke by one of his team, largely because the area it was found had been long since picked over, and the position of the stone was only some few feet (about 18-20) below the surface. The mine generally surrounding the point was thought to be some 400ft deep at the time, so it was believed unlikely that this stone could have gone unnoticed previuosly.
But, later tests proved it to be the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered.
It weighed a truly 'whopping' 3106 carats, about 1-1/3 pounds, or 621 grammes.
It was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, who opened the mine and just happened to be visiting on that day. (Some believe the stone was found earlier and it's discovery kept a secret until that day in order that the naming could be carried out in homage to Sir Thomas). Many diamond experts believe that the huge stone was in fact only a fragment, and that another piece (possibly even larger) either still exists undiscovered in the spoils of the mine, or was irretrievably crushed in the mining process.
It was sold to the Transvaal government, which presented it to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday (November 9th, 1907). It was insured for about Ł225,000 at that time.
The stones' cutting was entrusted to Asscher's Diamond Co. of Amsterdam. It was they who had earlier cut the Excelsior.
Mr Asscher and his team studied the huge diamond for 6 months prior to beginninng the cut.
On February 10th, 1908, Mr. Asscher placed the cleaver's steel blade into a previously prepared light groove, ...tapped it sharply, ...whereupon the blade promptly broke, and the diamond remained intact.
We can only imagine the feelings Mr Asscher must have gone through when the tool broke and the diamond remained whole.
He now had to prepare himself to strike the stone a second time (which is generally regarded as a risky operation on a 'normal' stone let alone something as precious as the Cullinan)
The pressure on Asscher must have been almost unbearable.
The basic problem was that the wrong weight of strike might not only break a second blade, but could cause micro-fractures within the stone which would make it shatter into many much less valuable pieces; or, ...if too hard a strike, could have a similar but much more devasting effect of shattering the stone in an uncontrolled way, ruining it, his reputation, and the fortunes of his Company.
To state that he was facing his lifes' ultimate challenge is not being too fanciful.
Mr Asscher steadied himself, ...struck the Diamond for a second time, ...the stone fell apart exactly as planned, ...and Mr Asscher promptly fainted.
A further cleavage produced three principal sections which in turn produced nine major gems (the roughs of which are shown below), 96 smaller (but still significant) brilliants, and 9.50 carats of unpolished pieces.

The 9 Principal Stones cleaved from the Cullinan

The nine large stones remain today either within the UK Crown Jewels, or in the possession of the UK Royal Family.

The fabulous gems, which form important aspects of the UK Crown Jewels on display at the Tower of London, have been mounted as:-
The Cullinan I, also known as the Star of Africa, weight 530.20 carats, pear-shaped of 74 facets, in the Royal Sceptre. Until recently, this was largest cut diamond in the world. (That record is now held by the Unnamed Brown, a golden brown cushion shape diamond weighing 545.67 carats.)
The Cullinan II, weight 317.40 carats, cushion-cut stone, in the Imperial State Crown.
The Cullinan III, weight 94.40 carats, pear-shaped stone, in the finial of Queen Mary's Crown, and can be detached and worn with the Cullinan IV as a pendant-brooch combination.
The Cullinan IV, weight 63.60-carats, cushion-cut stone, in the headband of Queen Mary's Crown, but can be worn as described above (and at times is done so by Elizabeth-II).
The Cullinan V, weight 18.80 carats, triangular-pear cut stone, in the circlet of Queen Mary's Crown as a replacement for the Koh-i-Noor which is now in the crown that was made for the late Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) in 1937.

DARYA-I-NOOR (Darya-I-Nur)

This fabulous Pink Diamond has a chequered, and uncertain past. Some historians claim to know the rough from which this stone was cut, whilst others claim it is a recut piece from the GREAT TABLE DIAMOND described by Tavernier as being itself more than 400 carats, pink and perfectly flat.
There is also confusion and counter-claim as to where the stone lay for some years, and twice during the 1960's it was apparently authenticated as being part of the Iranian Crown Jewels, after having been supposedly offered for sale in Pakistan.
Regardless of these mere details, the stone is fundamentally significant, and all the better for having a tale of intrigue and mystery associated with it.
The name means 'Water of Light', (or more correctly, Body-of-Water of Light [i.e. Sea, River, or Ocean - of Light]).
Considered to be the most celebrated diamond in the Iranian Crown Jewels, and one of the oldest known to man, the 186-carat Darya-i-Noor is actually quite a crudely fashioned stone. It's history is that it, and the Koh-i-Noor, are said to have been in the possession of the first Mogul emperor of India. They were passed down until they reached Mohammed Shah. But this is only part of the story; ...the other part is how they originally arrived into the hands of the Moguls.
Our thanks to Shahram Razavi for updating our original information regarding the early history of this gemstone
This and other fabulous stones were originally in the possesion of the Safavid monarchs of Persia (who ruled Iran 1502-1736 AD). They had the world's largest collection of Crown Jewels, and when Iran's capital at the time (Isfahan) was raided by the Afghans, most of the Iranian Crown Jewels vanished with the invaders. They were later dispersed throughout India at the courts of the Maharajas and the Mogul Court in Delhi.
When Nader Shah Afshar became Emperor of Iran in 1736, he wrote several letters to the Mogul Emperor Mohammad Shah asking for the return to Isfahan of the Persian treasures. The letters were unanswered.
In 1738 Nader Shah launched a massive campaign against Kandahar, Kabul, Lahore and then Delhi. His mission was to regain most of what Iran had lost to the Afghan invaders,... and so it was, that a year later in 1739, Delhi was sacked and the DARYA-I-NOOR, the fabulous Peacock Throne, and the TAJ-e-MAH Diamond (146 Carats) were taken back to Persia/Iran.
The two diamonds were set into a pair of bracelets and remained in the hands of Persian Kings for centuries.
In 1797, Fath Ali Shah, who regarded himself as a connossieur of gems (as of course any self-respecting Emperor and King at that time would) had his name engraved on one side of the diamond.
During the reign of the Shah Nasser-ed-Din (1831-1896), the stone acquired an elaborate frame containing 457 lesser diamonds and rubies.
It was after this that the story becomes somewhat confused;
The stone was listed as having been in the possession of the British East India Trading Company who exhibited it at the Great Exhibition in 1851; and 100 years later in 1955 the Darya-I-Noor is said to have been offered for sale in Pakistan, and then again in 1959 when it was reportedly owned by the NAWAB of DACCA. ...but ... Iranian officials at the 'Central Bank of Iran', where the Crown Jewels were kept, told the Gemnological Institute of America in 1964 that it had never left the Treasure Vaults. ...Yet ...
In 1906, Mohammed Ali Shah, after being defeated by the constitutionalists during the Persian Revolution, took refuge in the Russian Legation. He was reported to have the diamonds with him at that time and to have claimed that the jewels were his personal property.
There followed a period of intense negotiations and the stones were said to have been returned to the Country.
With the continuing claims that the stone was on the open market in the late 1950's steps were again taken to authenticate the Iranian Crown Jewels. They were studied and authenticated in 1966 by Dr Meen of the Royal Ontario Museum.

The question remains then as to whether or not the stone was used as portable (but secret) collateral between the period of 1850 - 1960?
Who really knows, ... it is now almost an irrelevance.
That the stone is a fabulous pink diamond, worth a Kings Ransom of anyone's money, is as true now as in years past.
This Gem is currently on display in the National Treasures Museum, Tehran. You can read more about the Iranian Crown Jewels at the official museum website in Iran here

DRESDEN GREEN

This is a wonderful almond shaped apple green diamond of purest water, one of the rarest gems in the world, although it is only 41 carats. It was bought by AUGUSTUS the STRONG, Elector of Saxony and king of Poland, who died in 1733 and remained in royal possession, during which time it was displayed, coincidentally, in the famous green vaults under Dresden Palace. The palace was severely damaged during WW2, but the jewels had been hidden in a fortress and so survived. In 1945 the Saxon Crown Jewels were confiscated by the Soviets and taken to Russia. In 1959 there were reports that the treasures had been restored to Dresden, but there was no report of the Dresden Green being returned and it is believed it was being retained for the Moscow Kremlin.

ENGLISH DRESDEN

This diamond weighed in at 119.5 carats rough: 76.5 carats cut. It was discovered in 1857 in the Bagagem Mine in Brazil, the third largest diamond to come from this mine. It was named after the London merchant who bought it in the rough. Mr Dresden had it cut in Amsterdam in a drop form and sold it to an East India merchant for a reported Ł40,000. The owner fell on hard times and had to sell. The buyer was theGAEKWAR of BARODA but the diamond is now believed to be in the possession of CURSEJJEE FARDOONJI of INDIA.

EUGENIE

There appears to be some confusion over the name Eugenie, some biographers have ascribed that name to the Blue Heart. But we believe the Eugenie to be a distictly different stone.
A beautiful perfect oval diamond of 51 carats, it first belonged to EMPRESS CATHERINE II of Russia, who gave it to POTEMKIN, one of her favourites. Later Napoleon III purchased it from Potemkin's great niece as a bridal gift to Empress Eugenie. After Napoleons downfall the stone was sold to the GAEKWAR of BARODA for Ł15,000. Like the Gaekwar's other prized possessions, the diamond was later sold and is now said to be owned by a MRS DADY of BOMBAY. NOTE: we would be delighted if someone could provide authentic information about this stone's present whereabouts.

EUREKA

This stone is aptly named as in 1866 some Boer children playing by the Orange river go South Africa, found a pebble, nearly white in colour and looking like a lump of alum or washing soda. They showed it to a neighbour VAN NIEKERK, who took it to several dealers who proclaimed it as worthless. He finally sent it to a Government office who recognized it as a diamond of 21 carats. SIR PHILIP WODEHOUSE (Governor) bought it for Ł500. In more recent times it formed paart of a diamond bangle which was inscribed 'The Eureka Diamond first found in South Africa'. This was sold at Christie's in 1946 and the famous diamond is now set in a ring owned by MR PETER LOCAN. The final cutting having reduced it to 10.75 carats. It was one of the exhibits at 'The Ageless Diamond' Exhibition at Christie's in 1959.

EXCELSIOR

Weighing in at 995 carats rough, this was the largest diamond, until the finding of the CULLINAN twelve years later. It was found at the JAGGERSFONTEIN mine in South Africa in 1893. It was not cut until 1903, when Asschers of Amsterdam cut it to yield 21 stones adding up to a total of 373.75 carats (a 62.4% weight reduction), the largest of the stones being a 70 carat marquise. Another marquise of 18 carats was shown by Debeers company at the New York World Fair in 1939.

FLORENTINE

This is a coloured diamond - clear citron yellow. Legend has it that the diamond was worn in his cap by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. In 1476 the Duke suffered a great defeat, losing a tremendous amount of arms and booty, including the diamond. It was picked up on the battlefield by a soldier who thinking it was a piece of glass, sold it to a priest for a florin. Since then it has had many owners including Pope Julius II. There are those who claim the authentic history of the stone to start in 1657, when TAVERNIER, visiting Florence on his journeys, examined a citrine-yellow diamond among the treasures of the Duke of Tuscanny. That diamond passed into the Austrian royal house through the marriage between Maria Therese and Francis Stephen of Lorraine. The bride wearing it as a brooch. Cut as a double rose of 126 facets, it remained in the Crown jewels of Vienna for several centuries and was valued at more than Ł150,000. After the Austrian Empire collapsed, the gem went into exile with the Royal family. Its history since then is uncertain, but when the Germans invaded Austria they carried off a yellow diamond which was restored to the city by the Americans after WW2. It is of course possible that this yellow diamond may be the one known as the AUSTRIAN YELLOW BRILLIANT that was once set in the Hapsburg Crown.

GREAT MOGUL

A diamond from the Golconda Mines, weighing 787 carats rough: 280 carats cut. It was discovered in the mid 17th Century and belonged to SHAH JEHAN the owner of the Darya-I-Noor. In 1665, the Shah's son, AURANGEZEB, showed it to Tavernier who describes it as 'liking to an egg, cut through the middle'. It is believed to have been amongst the loot taken by NADIR SHAH after the sacking of Delhi. Some argue that the Great Mogul doesn't really exist and that it is in fact the Darya-I-Noor. Others say that it is the diamond that Prince Orloff gave to Catherine the Great of Russia (bearing his name 'the Orloff'). It is quite probable that the gem was cut into 2 or more stones to escape detection - a fate which has befallen other famous diamonds.

HOPE

Probably the best known of all the diamonds, due to the fact that it is supposedly cursed, and certainly the fates of the owners of this magnificent gem are invariably harrowing, including violent deaths e.g. one where the owner was torn to shreds by wild dogs, not to mention suicide, financial disaster etc. It is a deep blue and weighed 112.25 carats rough and only 44.5 carats when cut to its present shape. Its history is linked to the BLUE TAVERNIER and it is likely both names refer to the same gem. The name Hope is after SIR HENRY THOMA HOPE, who bought it in the mid 19th Century. The BLUE TAVERNIER was found in the KOLLUR diamond mines near Gokonda, and was secured by the French expert Tavernier in 1642. Together with other jewels, he sold it to Louis XIV in 1668, when it weighed 67 carats after cutting and polishing. During the French Revolution it was stolen from the GARDE MEUBLE with other French treasures and all trace of it was lost from then on. In 1830 a diamond of a similar blue came on to the London market and it was bought by MR HOPE for Ł18,000. If this was the Blue Tavernier, it had been re-cut to avoid identification. In 1908 ABDUL HAMID, Sultan of Turkey, acquired it for a reported Ł80,000 and 3 years later it was for sale at Cartier's in Paris from whom it was bought by the late MRS EDWARD B McLEAN of Washington, a famous society hostess renowned for her fantastic jewellery. At the sale of her jewel collection in 1949, it was bought by MR HARRY WINSTON, a famous New York diamond merchant. He, with great generosity and public spiritedness, put an end to the legend of bad luck and donated it to the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE in Washington. The magnitude of the gesture can be appreciated when one learns that at the time the fabulous deep blue diamond was worth at least $1,000,000.

JONKER

A truly magnificent diamond weighing 727 carats rough, was picked up by a digger named JACOBUS JONKER in the alluvial diggings at Elandsfontein near Pretoria in 1934. With its beautiful blue-white colour, some consider it to be the finest gem ever found. It was acquired by the DIAMOND TRADING CORPORATION for Ł70,000 and later sold to MR HARRY WINSTON for a reported Ł700,000, after which it was cut into 12 perfect gems - 11 emerald cut and 1 marquise cut, the total being 358 carats. The largest gem to be cut from the Jonkers is one of 142.9 carats, which was later re-cut to 125.6 carats. Ex-king Farouk of Egypt bought the stone which at that time was valued at $1,000,000. Following his deposition and exile in 1952, it was reported to be in the custody of the Egyptian Government. In 1959, however, there were rumours that the Queen of Nepal was to be seen wearing the Jonkers.

KOH-I-NOOR

This must be one of the best known of all the diamonds. This colossal stone was 800 carats in the rough: 186 Indian carats when cut and 108.43 English carats when it was re-cut in Britain. It is said to have come from Golconda and to have a history reaching back to 1304 when it was in the possession of the Rajahs of Malwa. 200 years later it was acquired by SULTAN BABER, founder of the Mogul Dynasty and it remained in the possession of successive Emperors. In the early 18th Century NADIR SHAN invaded North-West India and plundered Delhi. He 'acquired' the gem along with many others. On his death the conquered empire fell and after numerous adventures the gem eventually returned to India whre it came into the possession of RANJIT SINGH, the Lion of Punjab, in 1833. In 1849 it came into the possession of the East India Company and in 1850 (the 250th Anniversary of the company) the stone was presented to Queen Victoria. When it was displayed at the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851 there was great disappointment by everyone because it did not display more fire. This criticism helped Queen Victoria decide to have the stone re-cut to a shallow brilliant. The cutting reduced the gem to 108 carats. This highly important and responsible task was entrusted to a diamond cutter from Amsterdam named VOORSANGER, who spent 38 days in London cutting the diamond. The Queen wore it as a brooch and on her death it transferred to the regalia and was set in the centre of the front cross patee of the State Crown. It was finally set in the crown made for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

NASSAK

This diamond is of unknown origin and was cut to a weight of 90 carats, then re-cut to 80 carats and then again to 43 carats. It first appeared in the temple of the Hindu god SIVA at NASIK (Nassak), a once famous place of pilgrimage about 100 miles from Bombay. Later the gem was removed from the temple by the local Mahratta rulers to pay for their campaigns against the British. It next appeared in 1818 as part of the DECCAN booty which fell into the hands of the East India Company who valued it at Ł30,000. Soon after it was bought by the Crown jewellers, RUNDELL, BRIDGE & Co. They decided to re-cut it to give more fire and the re-cutting was so expertly carried out that they were able to retain the triangular shape of 90 facets while losing only 10 carats. In 1837 the stone was bought by the Marquess of Westminster who had it set into the hilt of his dress sword. The Nassak remained in his family for many years and was exhibited in 1927 at MAUBOUSSIN'S showrooms in New York. It was brought back to this country but soon after it was bought by MR HARRY WINSTON and returned to New York, where it was refashioned into a modern 43 carat emerald cut stone and in that form it was sold to TRABERT & HOEFFER. It was then bought by MR WILLIAM B LEEDS of New York, who, it is believed, still owns it.

NIARCHOS

This diamond weighed 426.5 carats rough: 128.25 carats cut. It was found in the Premier mine in 1951 and was described as having the most perfect colour of any diamond. This diamond too was bought by MR HARRY WINSTON and was cut into a pear shaped gem of 143 facets, valued at Ł714,000. With a gem of this size and wonderful quality the cutting was a tremendously responsible task and took a total of 1,400 hours to accomplish. Two other stones, an emerald cut of 40 carats and a marquise cut of 28 carats, were also fashioned from the diamond. The largest portion received its name when it was bought by MR STAVROS S NIARCHOS, the Greek ship owner. The diamond was the cynosure of all eyes when it was displayed at 'The Ageless Diamond' exhibition in London in 1959.

NIZAM

This diamond weighed 340 carats rough and was a Golconda discovery. As the fields of Galconda are situated in the Nizam of Hyderbads territory, the stone was named after him. The actual weight of this diamond when it was found has been estimated at between 227 - 340 carats, the latter weight is thought to be more accurate. According to one authority this gem originally weighed 440 carats and was mysteriously broken in 1857 in the year of the Indian Mutiny. So far as is known the diamond is still uncut and in the possession of the Nizam of Hyderbad, reputed to be one of the richest men in the world and to have the most priceless collection of gems.

ORLOFF

300 carats in the rough and 199.6 carats cut, this gem was discovered early in the 17th Century again at Galconda. Its early history is obscure, but some authorities say that it was at one time in the treasure house of Shah Jehan. On the other hand, there is the legend that the stone was stolen by a French soldier from the eye of an idol in a Brahmia temple at Tridsinopoly in Madras and that it was sold by him to the captain of an English ship who in turn sold it to a London dealer. Whatever its previous movements and adventures, the diamond turned up in Amsterdam in 1774, where it was bought by PRINCE GREGORY ORLOFF, favourite of Catherine the Great and one of the leaders of the conspiracy which led to the downfall of her husband, Peter III in 1762. He bought the diamond hoping it would re-instate him in Catherine's favour and though the Empress graciously accepted the offering it availed Orloff nothing. She had this superb rose cut diamond mounted in the Imperial State Sceptre and it is now one of the most notable of famous gems in the diamond treasury of the U.S.S.R. It has been recorded that Orloff, who was by no means rich, bought the diamond on the instalment plan for a sum of 400,000 roubles to be repaid over a period of 7 years. A galling yoke to have placed about his neck to no avail.

OPTION2

300 Carats when found, color: slightly bluish green, clarity: exceptionally pure, cut: Mogul-cut rose, source: India. This gem may be found in the Diamond Treasury of Russia in Moscow. There are so many historical episodes involving the Orloff. First, it may have been set at one time as the diamond eye of Vishnu's idol (one of the Hindu Gods) in the innermost sanctuary temple in Sriangam, before being stolen in the 1700s by a French deserter. However, the deserter just dug one eye from its socket, because he was terror-stricken at the thought of retribution, so he couldn't take the other. He went to Madras, and sold the stone quickly to an English sea-captain for 2,000 pounds. The time passed, the stone arrived at Amsterdam where the Russian count Grigori Orloff, an ex-lover of Empress Catherine the Great was residing. He heard about rumors of the stone, and he bought the diamond for 90,000 pounds and took it back to Russia for Catherine's favor. The stone has been called the Orloff since then. Catherine received his gift and had it mounted in the Imperial Sceptre. She gave a marble palace to Grigori in exchange for the Orloff. However, Grigori couldn't get Catherine's love. Grigori Orloff passed away at the nadir of disappointment in 1783. In 1812 the Russians, fearing that Napoleon with his Grand Army was about to enter Moscow, hid the Orloff in a priest's tomb. Napoleon supposedly discovered the Orloff's location and went to claim it. However, as a solider of the Army was about to touch the Orloff, a priest's ghost appeared and pronounced a terrible curse upon the Army. The Emperor, Napoleon scampered away without the Orloff.

SANCY

This gem is not in the 'enormous' bracket, but it is a very fine stone weighing 55 carats with an enthralling history.
This pear-shaped stone was first owned by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who lost it in battle in 1477.
It was re-discovered and bought, in Constantinople in the 16th Century, by NICHOLAS HARTAI, SEIGNEUR de SANCY, at the court of Henry III. Nicholas de Sancy served two French monarchs loyally.
He reputedly 'loaned' the diamond to the French king, Henry III, who strategically placed it on his cap to conceal his baldness.
It was also pledged by Sancy for the purpose of raising troops in Switzerland on behalf of his Monarch.
He employed his diamond yet again on behalf of his sovereign, now Henry IV, the first of the Bourbon dynasty when Henry 'borrowed' it to give as security for a loan.
A messenger was dispatched with the diamond, but on his way was beset by thieves and brutally murdered. (One wonders, in today's cynical times, just who's orders the thieves were following).
De Sancy, convinced that his unfortunate servants loyalty would never allow him to surrender the treasure, even to the point of death, set out in search of his body.
His faith, and the man's pathetic devotion to duty, were proven to be well founded. De Sancy discovered that rather than yield the gem to the thieves his servant had swallowed it. The gem was removed from the dead man's stomach, and his remains decently interred.
By about the turn of the 16th/17th Centuries (1596-1599 or thereabouts), Sancy himself was in need of money and sold the diamond to the British Monarchy.
It is claimed variously by Biographers that it was bought by either QUEEN ELIZABETH I, or her successor James VI of Scotland, who became James I of the United Kingdom. We believe it more likely to have been the latter given the close ties (the Auld Alliance) between Scotland and France at the time.
Later it was owned by CHARLES I and JAMES II who, when he fled to France, sold it to LOUIS XIV.
It was stolen from the Garde Meuble in Paris in 1792 at the same time as the Hope and Regent diamonds. In 1867 it was back in Paris where it was shown at the Paris Exhibition. It was bought from there by the MAHARAJAH of PATIALA.
Following additional travels around the world, which included a trip into Finland, the Sancy was purchased by William Waldorf Astor in the 1890s for his wife, Lady Astor.
Lady Astor, the first woman to sit as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, wore the Sancy set in a tiara at numerous state occasions.
In 1978, the fourth Viscount Astor sold the Sancy, reputedly for c.Ł500,000 ($1,000,000).
It is now on view at the Louvre in Paris.

VARGAS

On August 13, 1938 Brazil revealed its greatest gem when a diamond weighing 726.6 carats was picked up in the gravels of the San Antonio River in the Coromandel district of Minas Gerais. Two garimpeiros (diamond diggers or prospectors), Joaquim Venancio Tiago and Manoel Miguel Domingues, were the lucky finders. Their good fortune did not extend very far. Not long after they had sold the diamond to a broker for $56,000, the same man sold it for $235,000. The buyer in turn sold the gem to a Dutch syndicate represented by the Dutch Union Bank of Amsterdam. By then the diamond had been named "President Vargas" in honor of Getulio Dornelles Vargas, president of Brazil (1930-45 and 1951-54). While the stone remained in the bank's safety deposit vault Harry Winston learned of its existence through his brokers in Brazil; they advised him of its rare quality and exceptional size. He traveled to London, then on to Amsterdam, where he finally purchased the President Vargas. The diamond was duly shipped to New York by ordinary registered mail at a cost of seventy cents although it had been insured by Lloyds for $750,000. On account of its unusual formation it was decided to cleave the President Vargas. A 20-carat piece was sawn from the top before the first cleaving; from this a pear shape, weighing 10.05 carats, was fashioned. The cleaving of the diamond was to result in two pieces, one of 150 carats and the other of 550 carats. But in all, twenty-nine gems were fashioned from the President Vargas, nineteen sizeable and ten smaller ones weighing a total of 411.06 carats. They comprised sixteen emerald cuts, one pear shape, one marquise and, among the lesser gems, ten triangles and one baguette. The name "President Vargas" has been retained by the largest gem, an emerald-cut weighing 48.26 carats. For a number of years this diamond was owned by the wife of Robert W. Windfohr of Fort Worth, Texas, who purchased it in 1944. In 1958 Harry Winston repurchased and re cut it to a flawless 44.17 carats stone, selling it again in 1961. The identities of the other buyers are not known, but in 1948 was reported that the Gaekwar of Baroda had bought one of the Vargas gems. In recent years two of the emerald cuts, numbers IV and VI, have come up for sale at Sotheby's in New York. In April 1989 President Vargas IV, weighing 28.03 carats, formerly among the jewels of Lydia Morrison, fetched $781,000, while in October 1992, President Vargas VI, weighing 25.4 carats, sold for $396,000.

OTHER NOTABLE GEMS

There are many famous coloured gems worthy of note.
On of the most impressive is the priceless ruby, the size of a man's hand, which the King of Ceylon was said to have owned in the 13th Century.
It has an interesting tale associated with it. The King believed that it had the power to prolong youth and certainly there seemed at the time of his death to be some basis for his belief.
Every night and morning the King practiced his ritual of rubbing the stone over his face and neck and when he died at the age of 90, he was said to have the complexion of a young man, smooth skinned, unblemished and unwrinkled.

One of the finest emeralds known, was one of 136 carats, which belonged at one point to the Tzars of Russia and is now believed to still be amongst the treasures of the former Soviet Union, but this is to be confirmed.

Occasionally we hear, or read about, people who find treasures such as Oil Paintings or a piece of precious pottery at Car-Boot sales and small-town Markets, but it takes some going to beat the find of one person in a tiny back-street shop in Amritsar, India in August 1960.
Whilst rummaging amongst the bric-a-brac and other collectables they came across a green stone statuette which stood 10inches (254mm) high. The green stone turned out to be Emerald, and the wondrous Gem weighed about 40 ounces (5,680 carats). It was valued in 1962 at about Ł37,500; ... OR, ...more than Ł536,000 at 2005 prices, quite a find for the equivalent of a car-boot rummage.
IF ANYONE, has information regarding this stauette and what happened to it after 1962 we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email us.

We would particularly like ot extend this page to include carved stones such as the above, and we would welcome any assistance in receiving information about items such as the following:-
Among carved emeralds, one of the most reportedly beautiful is that which was given to Queen Mary when she visited India for the Durbar. This is said to be amongst the finest examples of emerald carving in existence. A gem which Queen Mary delightedly wore as a pendant yet which we can gain little knowledge
Another notable carved gem, is the beautiful ruby in the Duke of Marlborough's family collection, which bears on engraving of the mythological dog Sirius. Also in this collection is the Marie Antoinette necklace which was bought by the 8th Duke for his American wife.
These too we would be delighted to learn more about.