The world of his historical diamonds that. The most famous diamonds in the world (15 photos). The most expensive diamonds and diamonds

How much blood was shed, how many sacrifices were made for the possession of a piece of carbon... So, the most famous diamonds in the world and their fate.

1. Stormogul. (Great Mogul) "Great Mogul"
2 & 11. Regenten l. Pitt. (Regent) "Diamond of Regent or Pitt"
3 & 5. Florentinaren. (Florentine) "Florentine"
4. Soderns stjarna. (Star of the South) Star of the South
6. Sancy. "Sancy"
7. Grön diamant (i Dresdens k. samlingar). (Dresden Green) Dresden Green
8. Koh-i-noor i sin äldre form (före 1852). (The Koh-I-Noor "s original form) "Kohinoor"
9. Hope, blå diamant. "Hope"
10 & 12. Koh-i-noor i sin nyare (briljant-) form. (The Koh-I-Noor "s current form) "Kohinoor"

"Great Mogul"

The largest diamond ever found in India. Discovered in 1650 in the diamond mines of Golconda and originally weighed 787 carats. This name was given to him by the French diamond merchant and traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. During his last trip to India in 1665, Tavernier visited the court of the powerful emperor Aurangzeb, where he first saw a diamond (already cut). Its cutting was entrusted to the Venetian Hortensio Borgis. According to Tavernier, the 279-carat diamond made by Borgis had the shape of a rose, a tiny speck was visible inside, and another flaw was on the bottom. After the assassination of Nadir Shah in 1747, traces of the diamond are lost. It is possible that the later famous Kohinoor or Orlov stones were obtained from it. The Abbas-Mirza diamond may be one of the fragments of the "Great Mogul" - but not the diamond that Tavernier saw, but the rough diamond.

"Diamond of Regent or Pitt"

One of the most famous diamonds in the world, now in the Louvre. Legend has it that the 400 carat stone was found in 1701 in a mine in the Golconda mines by a slave miner who cut open his thigh and hid the stone in the wound under a bandage. The English skipper promised the slave freedom for the diamond, but having lured him onto the ship, he took the stone away and killed him. In Bombay, a sailor sold the gem to an Indian diamond dealer named Jamhund for the equivalent of $5,000. In 1702, Jamhund sold the diamond for 20.4 thousand pounds to the English governor of Madras, Thomas Pitt, whose name the stone was called until 1717, when it was taken out of Madras and was sold for 135 thousand pounds to Philip II, Duke of Orleans, regent for the minor French King Louis XV. In honor of the new owner, the stone received a new name - "Regent".

Crown of Louis XV. 1722. Gold, diamonds, precious stones. Louvre. Paris.
Used at the coronation of Louis XV in 1722 at Reims Cathedral, it was adorned with the famous Regent diamond.

The cut of the stone, during which its weight decreased from 410 to 140.64 carats, was made in London. It lasted two years and cost £5,000. The stone remained at the disposal of the Bourbon dynasty as the "nail" of their jewelry collection. He served two generations of French kings. The "Regent" adorned the crown, which was placed on the head of Louis XV on the day of his coronation in 1722, and later - the diadem, made by order of Queen Maria Leszczynska. He sparkled in the crown of Louis XVI and on the black velvet of the big hat that Queen Marie Antoinette liked to wear. In 1792, during the looting of the royal palace, the stone disappeared, but was later found. The republican government of France pledged the diamond to the wealthy Moscow merchant Treskov; General Bonaparte (Napoleon I) ransomed him, who ordered him to be set in the hilt of his sword.

His widow Marie-Louise of Austria brought the stone from France. Subsequently, the Habsburgs returned the miracle stone to Napoleon III, who ordered it to be set in the diadem of his wife Eugenia. In 1886, during the sale of the treasures of the French crown, the Regent was bought for 6 million francs for the Louvre Museum. Since then, the stone has remained in the Louvre collection.

"Florentine"("Grand Duke of Tuscany", "Austrian Yellow Diamond")

One of the most celebrated diamonds in European history, now lost. It was a light yellow diamond with a slight greenish tint, weighing 137.45 carats. It is believed to be one of the oldest known diamonds. It came to Europe from India in the 14th century. The jeweler Ludwig van Berken cut it for Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433-1477). According to legend, Charles lost the diamond in 1467 on the battlefield of Grandson. The stone was found by a Swiss soldier (according to another version, a local peasant) and, believing that it was just a piece of yellowish glass, he sold it for only 1 florin. After that, the diamond passed through many hands. It belonged to the Duke of Milan Sforza, then Pope Julius II, then passed into the ownership of the Tuscan Dukes of the Medici.

The first description of the diamond belongs to Tavernier, who in 1657 saw it in the Florentine treasury of the Dukes of the Medici house. After the extinction of the Medici family, it was inherited by the Habsburgs and entered into storage in their Hofburg collection. In 1918, after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the family of the deposed Emperor Charles, going into exile in Switzerland, took the Florentine with them. After 1921, all information about the stone disappears. It is assumed that the diamond was stolen by a person close to the ex-emperor's family and taken to South America. Rumors circulated that a large yellow diamond was brought to the United States in the 1920s, where it was recut and sold.

Today, there are only four lemon yellow diamonds in the world weighing over 70 carats. Three of them do not cause suspicion - their origin is known. But the yellow diamond, which was put up (and bought) at an auction in Switzerland in 1981, aroused increased interest among specialists. From conversations with an elderly woman who put the diamond up for auction, it was possible to learn that the stone appeared in her family shortly after the First World War. She remembered that at first the diamond was of a very unusual shape, but her father ordered that it be recut... Could there be traces of the missing Florentine? Unfortunately, no one can claim this with complete certainty. The diamond of the Burgundian dukes and popes, the rulers of Florence and the Austrian emperors is officially still on the wanted list.

"Star of the South"

It was found in Brazil in 1853 in the Bagagem mines. The weight of the diamond was 201.88 carats. The shape is rhombic (dodecahedron). The color of the diamond was transparent. According to one version, this large diamond was found by an ordinary worker - a slave, for which he received freedom. According to another version, the diamond was found by a slave girl who did not receive any reward for her find. Diamond "Star of the South" has changed many owners. The first price at which it was sold was only 3,000 pounds, but the last one reached 80,000 pounds (or $400,000).

The diamond was processed in Amsterdam. From it was made a magnificent diamond weighing 128.8 carats. After cutting, the diamond acquired a pinkish-brown hue. The Star of the South diamond got its name in Paris, from the company Halfen & Associates, which for some time was its owner. Diamond even managed to participate in the London Exhibition (1862), which brought him worldwide fame.

At one time, the Star of the South diamond was in the collection of Evelyn Walsh McLean, the daughter of the famous Edward McLean (a gold digger who became a multimillionaire), but after her death (1949) it was put up for auction. According to the latest data, as a result, the “Star of the South” diamond was bought out by the Indian prince of Baroda (just for the price of 80 thousand pounds), who inserted the diamond into a family necklace (where another famous diamond is located - the “Star of Dresden”). Then the necklace and the "Star of the South" were lost from sight for many years. It only became known that in 2002 the necklace and diamond were bought by Cartier jewelry house.

"Sancy"

Pale yellow diamond weighing 55.23 carats (11.046 grams), judging by the cut - Indian origin. One of the legendary gems in the history of Europe. The history of the Sancy stone is very confusing; perhaps the stories of two or more stones are intertwined in it. According to the description, the stone has an almond shape and is covered with many small facets on both sides. In the book by R. Valeev "Diamond-stone is fragile" ("Radyansky pisnik", Kyiv, 1973) there is a legend about the origin of the Sancy diamond.

According to the author, the stone was found in 1064 in East India by a merchant named Jagattunga. Before polishing, the diamond weighed 101.25 carats. In Ahmednagar, a merchant exchanged a stone with the Sultan, whose name was Vira Rajendra, for two young elephants, twelve unbroken camels and eighty gold coins. At first, it was owned by several rulers of the principalities of Central India. Its last owner was Sultan Kut-ud-Din. Then the diamond disappeared - however, not alone, but together with the Grand Vizier. Only in 1325 did it surface again - some merchant, who arrived from foreign lands, sold it to the Indian Sultan Muhammad. Further traces of the diamond are lost. It is only known that it was exported from India.

Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, with the Order of the Golden Fleece. Rogier van der Weyden.

In 1473, Charles the Bold got the stone. In 1475, on his behalf, the Flemish stone grinder Ludwig van Berken processed the stone. As a result, the diamond lost 48 carats in weight and received a double cut with thirty-two facets. After the death of Charles the Bold in the battle of Nancy in 1477, the stone was stolen from his corpse on the fatal field by a marauder; however, there is too little evidence to state this with certainty. The diamond ended up in the possession of the Portuguese king Alphonse Africanus, who sold it to an unidentified person.

Louvre. Royal jewels are stored here, including the famous Regent and Sancy diamonds, as well as the 105-carat Côte de Bretagne ruby.

According to historical data, by the 1570s, Nicolas de Sancy, a French attorney in Constantinople, acquired it from a Turkish jeweler. Around 1605, Sancy sold the diamond on credit to the English King James I. It is believed that it was then that he acquired his current name. In a 1605 catalog of the Tower's jewels, the stone appears as "a magnificent diamond, cut, bought from Sancy." The diamond remained in England for half a century until the exiled Stuarts sold it for £25,000 to Cardinal Mazarin, who bequeathed it to Louis XIV. The stone was at the disposal of the Bourbons until the French Revolution. At this time, the royal treasury was plundered.

The further fate of the stone is shrouded in mystery until 1828, when Pavel Demidov bought it for 80,000 pounds. In 1865, the Demidovs resold the diamond for £100,000 to an Indian raja, who sold it to an unknown buyer the following year. In 1867, the Sancy diamond was first exhibited to the public at the World Exhibition in Paris. According to the price tag, its value was estimated by the owner at one million francs. After that, nothing was heard about the stone for forty years. In 1906, the Sancy diamond appears in the collection of the American industrialist William Waldorf Astor. The illustrious Astor family remained the owner of the relic for 72 years, until the fourth Lord Astor sold the stone to the Louvre for one million dollars. This happened in 1978, and since then the famous diamond has been kept in the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre.

"Green Dresden"

Pear shaped diamond in a natural apple green color. The only large (41 carats) sample of a diamond of this variety. It owes its unique color to natural radioactivity. Since the 18th century, it has been kept in the Dresden treasury of the Grünes Gewölbe. Since 1726, a letter from a certain Baron Gauthier has survived, in which the proposal of a London merchant to sell the rarest green diamond to the Saxon Elector Augustus the Strong for 30 thousand pounds is mentioned. The naturalist Hans Sloane had a copy of the unique stone, indicating that the original was purchased by the Londoner Markus Moses in Golconda.

When the stone came to Saxony, it is not known exactly. According to some reports, the stone was bought by the son of August the Strong, August III, at the Leipzig fair in 1742 through a Dutch intermediary for an amount estimated by historians at 400,000 thalers. The price of a green almond-shaped stone was equal to the cost of building the entire Dresden Cathedral. One of the Saxon jewelers (possibly Dinglinger himself) placed a green diamond, along with a Saxon white one, in an agraph for the Elector's hat set. In such a frame, the stone has survived to this day. After the Second World War, he, along with other Dresden treasures, was in the USSR until 1958. In 2006, he was exhibited in the Moscow Kremlin as part of the exhibition "Cabinet of Jewels of Augustus the Strong". Currently stored in Dresden.

"Hope"

Blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats. Perhaps the most famous of the New World diamonds. It is believed that it was obtained from a 115-carat blue diamond, which Jean-Baptiste Tavernier brought from India to the Versailles court. He bought it somewhere near Golconda. It is believed that the Tavernier diamond was mined in Collur mines and at one time adorned the statue of the goddess Sita. After Tavernier sold his diamond to the royal jeweler, he made several smaller stones from it. One of them, which once adorned the ring of Empress Maria Feodorovna, is now kept in the Diamond Fund. The other had a weight of 69 carats and appeared in the inventories of royal treasures as the "blue diamond of the crown" or "blue Frenchman". Louis XIV is believed to have worn it around the neck set in a gold pendant, and under Louis XV it adorned the royal pendant with the Order of the Golden Fleece.

When, with the outbreak of the revolution in 1792, the royal family fell under house arrest, thieves entered the palace and stole all the jewels of the crown, including the blue diamond. Although the history of the stone according to the documents ends here, there are many guesses about its further fate. According to one hypothesis, the theft was set up by Danton to bribe the enemies of the revolution, according to another, the stone fell into the hands of the prince regent, and then went under the hammer to cover the debts of one of his favorites. The Hope Diamond is named after its first known owner, the British aristocrat Henry Philip Hope, in whose possession it was first seen in an 1839 document.

As a rarity in clarity, weight and cut, it was exhibited at the world exhibitions of 1851 and 1855. in Paris and London. Even then, there was a suspicion that the stone from the Hope collection was obtained by recutting the blue diamond of the French crown. Currently, this version has received scientific confirmation. At the end of the 19th century, the Hope diamond was inherited by the Lincoln family. Its last British owner, Lord Pelham-Clinton-Hope, went bankrupt. In an attempt to satisfy his creditors, the lord sold the diamond to a London jeweler. After passing through the hands of several dealers, the diamond was acquired in 1910 for an astronomical sum of 550 thousand francs by the jeweler Pierre Cartier, who began to spread rumors about the curse associated with the stone.

Evelyn Walsh-McLean. A chain of 45 oval diamonds was attached to the frame - according to the jeweler's idea, the Hope diamond can be worn as a necklace, and as a bandeau head ornament.

After Cartier, the diamond was owned by Evelyn Walsh-McLean, the daughter of the Washington Post owner. In payment of her debts after the death of Walsh-McLean, the stone was sold to the jeweler Harry Winston, who became famous for organizing "diamond balls" in the United States and beyond. During these colorful shows, half of America learned about the diamond. Finally, in November 1958, Winston mailed it to the Smithsonian as a gift. Since 1958 he has been at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

"Kohinoor" (Kohinoor)

From Hindi - "Mountain of Light" - a diamond and a 105 carat diamond, which is currently in the crown of Queen Elizabeth (UK). One of the largest diamonds included in the treasures of the British crown (the largest - "Cullinan I"). Initially, it had a slight yellow tint, but after re-cutting in 1852, it became pure white. In the Tower of London, it is kept behind armored glass. The history of Kohinoor can be traced reliably from 1300. Legends tell about much earlier events associated with this stone.

According to Indian legend, a child was found on the banks of the Yamuna River; a beautiful diamond burned in his forehead; this was the Kohinoor. The elephant mahout's daughter picked up the newborn and brought him to the court. This child was none other than Karna, the son of the sun god, mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. The stone, whose net weight was then 600 carats, was set on the statue of the god Shiva in place of the third eye, which brings enlightenment.

According to other legends, the origin of the diamond is associated with the sons of Ala-ad-din - Khizr Khan, Shihab-ud-din-Umar and Kutub-ud-din-Mubarak. After the death of their father, they decided to divide the entire territory into three parts and set off on a journey through the possessions. A downpour caught them in the mountains, and they took refuge from the weather in one of the caves. Entering inside, they saw that the cave was illuminated by an unusual light that came from a diamond lying on a granite stone. The brothers argued to whom it should belong, and began to pray to the gods. Shiva heard Mubarak's prayer and fired lightning at the diamond, after which it split into three parts. Each of the fragments exceeded seven hundred carats. Khizr Khan took for himself the largest part, which he called "Derianur" - "sea of ​​​​light." Umar named his stone "Kohinoor" - "mountain of light", and Mubarak named his stone "Hindinur" - "light of India".

After the brothers ascended the throne, misfortunes began in the country. Famine and epidemics claimed tens of thousands of lives. Mubarak sold his diamond to the Shah of Persia. With the money he received, he built a temple and installed at the entrance a marble statue of Shiva three times the height of a man. But the misfortunes continued. And then Khizr Khan and Umar ordered the masons to insert the diamonds "Derianur" and "Kokhinur" into the eye sockets of the statue. After that, all disasters immediately ceased. Subsequently, "Derianur" and "Kokhinur" were built into the throne of the Persian Shah, who attacked India and, among other trophies, seized these diamonds.

In the annals, this diamond was first mentioned in 1304. For several centuries, "Kohinoor" adorned the turban of the raja from the dynasty of the state of Malwa. The legend said that if ever the "Mountain of Light" fell from the Raja's turban, then all the people of Malwa would become slaves. This is what happened in 1304, when Malwa was conquered by the Delhi sultan Ala-ad-Din. Among other captured treasures, Kohinoor also became the property of the winner. However, the diamond later returned to the rulers of Malwa. In 1526, the troops of Sultan Babur, a descendant of Tamerlane, invaded India. In the decisive battle at Panipat, the Indian troops were defeated. In this battle, the Raja Bikeramit was killed, and his family was captured. Trying to appease the winner, the Raja's wife gave away all the treasures, including Kohinoor. The conquerors spared the Raja's family.

From then on, the Mughal rulers wore the Kohinoor on their turbans until it was placed on the famous Peacock Throne. People believed that as long as the diamond as an indestructible emblem shines over the throne of the great Mughals, the dynasty will continue. The Mughals kept the stone for two hundred years, until 1739, when the ruler of Persia, Nadir Shah, sacked Delhi. After the assassination of the shah in 1747, his son, who inherited the stone, preferred, according to legend, to die under torture, but did not give the legendary diamond.

Then Kohinoor changed owners many times, ended up in the hands of the Afghans, Sikhs, and in 1849 was abducted by the British, who captured Lahore. Under the strictest security, the diamond was sent to London, where it was presented to Queen Victoria on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the East India Company. He appeared before the eyes of Her Majesty's subjects at the 1851 World's Fair at the Crystal Palace. However, the stone did not cause a sensation: due to the Indian cut, its brilliance was rather dull. In 1852, the diamond was recut in Amsterdam and acquired a flat shape. The weight of the stone during recutting decreased from 191 to 108.9 carats.

Coronation of the Queen Mother in 1937. Next to her daughter - now Elizabeth II.

In 1853, Kohinoor was set into the British royal crown along with 2,000 other smaller diamonds. In 1911, the diamond was transferred to the crown, which was made for the ascension to the throne of Queen Mary. In 1937, he was again transferred to the new crown for the enthronement of Queen Elizabeth, where he remains at the moment.

13

"Regent"

Diamond weight 140 carats
Diamond to cut 410 carats
French property

The legendary diamond was found in 1701 by a slave prospector near Golconda, India. One of its first owners was British Prime Minister William Peet. The cut of this diamond is made in the form of a pillow. Until the sale in 1717 to the Duke of Orleans, the diamond was named Pete. In honor of the Duke, who was the regent of the young Louis XV, he received the name "Regent". Later, the diamond adorned the crown in which Louis was crowned. It was stolen, along with other royal jewels, from Garde Meuble on August 17, 1792, at the beginning of the French Revolution, but was eventually thrown back by thieves, no doubt because they did not know how to get rid of such a famous stone, leaving it intact. After the French Revolution, the diamond belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, who fixed it in the hilt of his sword. In the last decade of the XVIII century. the diamond was used by Napoleon as collateral to secure his campaigns with everything he needed. The Regent is currently on display at the Louvre.

"Regent" - one of the famous historical stones, the largest of the diamonds stored in the Louvre. Found in the mines of Golconda in India sometime between 1698 and 1701 by a Hindu slave who cut open his thigh and hid the stone in the wound under a bandage. The English sailor promised the slave to take him out on a ship for a diamond, but having lured him onto the ship, he took the stone away and killed him.
He sold the diamond for £1,000 to the English Governor of Fort St. George Pitt, whose name the stone was called until 1717.
Pitt immediately sent the purchase to England for cutting. London-based jeweler Joseph Cope took up cutting and polishing the diamond, soon named after its owner, Pitt. The skillful master worked on the stone for about two years, receiving 5 thousand pounds sterling for his work, which for the beginning of the 18th century was an absolute record for the remuneration of a carver and grinder. When cut in the form of a cushion (pillow), the stone significantly decreased in size: up to 32 x 34 x 25 mm. Now he began to weigh 140.5 carats (about 28 grams). About a third of the original mass of 410 carats remained. Small "fragments", however, did not disappear. They were put on sale, and they brought the owner a proceeds of about 7 thousand pounds. Some of the diamonds were bought by the Russian Tsar Peter I.
In England in the 18th century, it was very difficult for an ordinary person to own a very expensive diamond, even if he once ruled in one of the colonies. Pitt lived in perpetual fear of being robbed. He never parted with the stone and constantly changed his place of residence. Under the same roof, he did not sleep for more than two nights, did not tell anyone where he was going. In addition, there were persistent rumors in London society that Pitt had acquired his treasure dishonestly - they wrote about this in the newspapers.
The sale of Pitt seemed like a natural way out of the situation, but the owner asked too high a price for the diamond - 135 thousand pounds sterling. This fantastic amount for that time scared off potential buyers. It is curious that Pitt and his attorneys showed interested clients not the stone itself, but its exact imitation made of lead. Subsequently, T. Pitt donated this model to the British Museum.
The Duke of Orleans, regent of France under the infant Louis XV, was accustomed to throwing money around to satisfy his own whims. For several years of his regency, the treasury of France was devastated, the country was on the verge of financial collapse. Such a person should not stop on the path of fulfilling his desire because of the scarcity of his wallet. The amount paid for the diamond was 3,375,000 francs. Since the stone crossed the English Channel, they began to call it, like the new owner, the Regent. A little later, the diamond was recognized as a royal treasure. In 1722, he was placed in the crown of Louis XV, and then the crown of Louis XVI for his coronation in 1775. Queen Marie Antoinette wore it in a hairpin that held her sumptuous black velvet hat.
In 1791, by order of the National Assembly, an inventory was made of all the royal treasures, which from now on were considered the property of France. A specially created commission of jewelers estimated the Regent at 12 million francs. Together with other jewels, the diamond was in the Louvre, in the royal vault of Garde Meuble.
In 1792, during the looting of the royal palace, the stone disappeared along with such famous diamonds as Sancy and French Blue (Tavernier Blue, from which the Hope diamond was subsequently cut), but 15 months after the abduction, the diamond was found in one of the Paris attics.
The diamond served Napoleon more than once (both during the years of the consulate and when he was emperor), when he urgently needed money to organize the next military campaign. So, once the Regent, along with a couple of less expensive stones, was sent as a pledge to the Berlin banker Treskov as security for a four-million loan. Barely returning from Berlin, the Regent set off again, this time to Amsterdam, to the banker Vandenberg, who often showed off the diamond at numerous receptions, both at home and in the mansions of other eminent Dutch. Napoleon liked the idea of ​​using the crown jewels to raise funds for the upkeep of 14 armies. He made it an essential part of his financial policy.
However, the "Regent" avoided further wanderings. The First Consul ordered the stone to be inserted into the hilt of the ceremonial consular sword, where the Regent was adjacent to two other diamonds of 16.5 carats, confiscated from some aristocrats in the terrible days of revolutionary terror. The consular sword was part of the ceremonial costume of the first person of the state, and not at all a military weapon, therefore it is very strange to read the "genuine" memoirs of the "eyewitnesses", which state that the emperor rushed into battle with this sword, and the Regent's bright brilliance inspired the Napoleonic soldiers for the next victory. After the collapse of the empire, Marie-Louise, the wife of the defeated emperor, leaving Paris, took with her the jewels of the crown, including the front sword. She tried to put on more jewelry, naively believing that if she was detained by Russian Cossacks, they would not dare to search the royal person. That's just with the "Regent" had problems. It was difficult to hide a sword on a woman's body. Then the fugitive ordered Monsieur Meneval, an officer of the retinue, to break the ill-fated object into pieces; Marie-Louise hid the handle with the Regent under her cloak. But the former empress apparently did not know her enemies well. The Provisional Government sent an officer in pursuit of her with a special task: to carefully search through all the luggage. Not only the precious stones of the French crown were taken away from Marie-Louise, but also silver dishes, and also gold and silver coins worth about 10 million francs. The officer, without hesitation, tore from the frightened woman's neck even a gold necklace, Napoleon's personal gift.
True, according to other sources, Marie-Louise still managed to smuggle the "Regent" to Austria, and the diamond was then returned to the French king Louis XVIII by her father, the Viennese emperor. Be that as it may, but during the Restoration, Charles X inserted the "Regent" into the so-called diamond crown, made by the best French jeweler Frederic Bapst. The "bourgeois king" Louis-Philippe again sent the Regent to the Garde Meuble vault.
The revolutionary thunderstorm of 1848 swooped in. And again, like more than fifty years ago, they tried to steal diamonds from the Louvre. They say that history likes to repeat itself, and repetition often turns into a farce. It happened this time as well. When a crowd of raging mob broke into the Louvre, the National Guard, alerted, managed to hide the jewelry in the cornices of the fireplaces. It's hard to say whether the rioters would have found them or not, but they - fortunately for the diamonds - stumbled upon a wine warehouse. Almost the commander of the guards showed them the way to 10 thousand bottles of wine from the royal table. A mad drinking ensued that lasted all night. When troops entered the Louvre the next morning, they found the corpses of 12 robbers drunk to death in the wine cellars. The rest, in an insane state, were taken to prisons.
A few years later, Napoleon III ordered the Regent to be inserted into his wife's diadem. True, this diadem rarely saw white light: during the Second Empire, it, along with other precious stones, was kept in a personal safe by Thierry, a confidant of the monarch; later, the treasures of the French crown migrated to the cellars of the Ministry of Finance.
The Regent (along with the rest of the jewels) was exposed to a new danger with the beginning of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871. The Germans were advancing, and it was decided to take the treasures out of Paris. They were packed in a box with a frightening inscription: "Special shells" - and sent to the main French naval base in Brest. The cruiser, on which the “shells” were loaded, had to be in full readiness to go to sea, and there its voyage could extend to distant Saigon.
Luckily no sea travel was required. After the conclusion of peace, the diamonds returned to Paris, where another attack awaited them. The war-ravaged republic needed money. And then some deputies of the National Assembly offered the government an easy way to solve financial difficulties: to sell the crown jewels. The stones were evaluated by a special commission of specialists. The well-known jewelers, the Bapst brothers, struggled against the sale of historical diamonds, in particular the Regent. They convinced their colleagues and the government that it was impossible to determine the exact cost of the Regent, that the sale price would be determined by chance and, perhaps, this stone, unique in its beauty, would sell for only 600-700 thousand francs. That would be a humiliation for the nation if some poorly educated American moneybag gets the diamond, and he will take it to fairs and take money from those who want to see the French curiosity.
Prudence won: historical stones were transferred to museums. The regent, whose value, according to some reports, amounted to two-thirds of the total cost of jewelry, ended up in the Louvre.
He had one more journey to go. In 1940, as the Germans were closing in on Paris, the Regent, along with other gems, was sent to Chambord Castle, where it was hidden behind a stone wall panel. There he was kept throughout the war. After its completion, the stones were returned to the Louvre, and now the Regent is in the Apollo Gallery of the famous museum.

The most beautiful stones that have inspired people to exploits and crimes since ancient times are diamonds. More precisely, their processed variants are diamonds. These gems are rarely found in nature. Large specimens are so rare that humanity keeps their stories in its memory. We suggest you familiarize yourself with the top 5 most famous gemstones.

Diamond Cullinan (The Cullinan Diamond)

This treasure was found on January 25, 1905 in the South African province of Transvaal. Its weight was 3106ct or 621.2 g. The crystal was distinguished by the complete absence of defects, cracks and mineral inclusions. The most striking thing is that it was part of another, larger specimen, which, unfortunately, could not be found.

The South African miracle got its name in honor of Sir Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine. The cost of the stone was so high that there were no buyers for it for several years. By today's standards, 94 tons of gold would have to be paid for this unfinished copy!

The first owner of this treasure was King Edward VII of Great Britain. However, the capricious monarch did not appreciate the scale of this natural miracle, calling it "glass". He ordered the jewelers to make several smaller ones out of it. After some time, the Cullinan turned into 2 large, 7 medium and 96 small diamonds of perfect clarity.

The largest of the stones is called the "Star of Africa" ​​or "Cullinan-I" and adorns the top of the scepter of the monarchs of Great Britain. It has a pear-shaped cut and a size of 530.2ct, which allows this gift of nature to hold the world championship.

Diamond Koh-i-nor (The Koh-i-Noor Diamond)

The name of this multifaceted ideal is translated as "Mountain of Light". In its rough condition, it weighed over 800ct. His homeland is considered South India. The owner of this treasure was the founder of the Mughal dynasty himself.

The diamond was central to the ceremonial Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan. This Indian prince became famous for having built the magnificent Taj Mahal mausoleum for his beloved. At various times, the “Mountain of Light” was owned by: the Persian Shah Nadir, the founder of the Afghan royal dynasty of Durrani, the Indian Raja Ranjit Singh and his descendants.

"Mountain of Light" was presented as a gift to Queen Victoria, and after her death took a place of honor in the royal crown. In 1852, it was decided to recut it. As a result of this procedure, the crystal lost 40% of its mass (from 191 to 108.9ct). In addition, it has become less historically interesting, having lost its original form.

Star of Yakutia Diamond

This crystal was found in 1973. Its weight is 232ct. It is interesting that in the English catalog of De Beers it is listed under the name "50 Years of Aeroflot". This name was originally given. However, the then Chairman of the Council of Ministers Alexei Kosygin insisted that he get a more sonorous name.

To date, the "Star of Yakutia" is stored in the Diamond Fund of the Kremlin. Unlike other famous gemstones, this one cannot be cut. Therefore, everyone has the opportunity to admire the primordial "star" beauty.

Orlov (The Orlov Diamond)

"Orlov" was the pride of the Romanov dynasty. Its size is 189.62ct. The cut diamond crowns the scepter of the imperial house and has a rather mysterious past.

According to one version, he was kidnapped in 1747 from the throne of the Persian Shah Nadir. Another version claims that the jewel was found in the jungle on the ruins of an ancient Indian temple. This was the third eye of the statue of the god Brahma.

The diamond was brought to Russia by the Armenian merchant Lazarev in 1768. He sold it to Count Grigory Orlov for 400 thousand rubles. The imperial favorite gave the jewel to Catherine II. This is truly a gift worthy of a great woman!

Regent or Pitt (The Pitt or Regent Diamond)

It is believed that this crystal was found in 1701 in India, on the banks of the Kistina River. The uncut weight was 410ct. Legend has it that the slave who found the stone hid it in his wound. After that, he secretly made his way to a ship going to England and offered the captain half the cost of the sale of the diamond. However, the cruel sea wolf decided otherwise: he threw the slave overboard, and appropriated the booty for himself. The jewel was acquired by William Pitt, commandant of Fort St. George in Madras. In honor of him, the stone received its middle name. The new owner cut it and sold it to the French monarch. So the diamond passed to the regent of France, Philip II of Orleans. After that, it was owned by all the persons of royal blood who occupied the throne.

During the French Revolution, all royal treasures were stolen. However, a year later, government agents found and returned the jewel. Napoleon decided to decorate his sword with the "Regent" for the imperial coronation. Today, this stone is on display in the Louvre.

We have presented you only the tip of the iceberg of famous jewelry. All large gemstones could tell exciting stories filled with admiration and incredible adventures for their owners.

"Koh-i-noor". Originally called the "Mountain of Light" in the 18th century, this diamond is not the largest in the British Crown Treasury, but its history has made it perhaps the most legendary stone of all time. In the Tower of London, it is kept behind armored glass.

According to Indian tradition, a child was found on the banks of the Yamuna River; a beautiful diamond burned in his forehead; this was Koh-i-Nor. The elephant mahout's daughter picked up the newborn and brought him to the court. This child was none other than Karna, the son of the sun god. The stone, whose net weight was then 600 carats, was set on the statue of the god Shiva in place of the third eye, which brings enlightenment.

In the annals, this diamond was first mentioned in 1304. Then it belonged to the Raja of Malwa. Then, for two centuries, nothing was known about the stone. Only in 1526 was it discovered among the treasures of Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty.

The Mughals kept the stone for two hundred years, until 1739, when the ruler of Persia, Nadir Shah, sacked Delhi. After the assassination of the shah in 1747, his son, who inherited the stone, preferred, according to legend, to die under torture, but did not give the legendary diamond. Then "Koh-i-Nor" changed owners many times, ended up in the hands of the Afghans, Sikhs, and in 1849 was abducted by the British, who captured Lahore.

The diamond, under the strictest security, was sent aboard the Medea to London, where it was presented to Queen Victoria on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the East India Company. He appeared before the eyes of Her Majesty's subjects at the 1851 World's Fair at the Crystal Palace. However, the stone did not cause a sensation: due to the Indian cut, its brilliance was rather dull. The Queen summoned the famous diamond cutter Voorzanger of the Koster Company from Amsterdam and ordered him to cut a "mountain of light". This cut, which reduced the weight of the diamond from 186 to 108.93 carats, brought him unfading worldwide fame.

No one has ever found out where the "Koh-i-Nor" was actually found, where and when it was first cut. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that it was mined in the diamond mines of Bijapur in the center of India, which until the 18th century was the only source of diamonds in the world. For Westerners, the mining of Indian diamonds remained shrouded in legends until, in the 17th century, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier ventured to India and obtained the first reliable information about diamond mines.

"Eureka"- the first diamond accidentally found in South Africa in 1866. Its original weight was 21.25 carats, and after cutting - 10.73 carats. A guy named Erasmus Jacobs lived with his family near the Orange River, on the De Kalk farm, in the vicinity of Hopetown. Looking for a stick on the river bank to clean the drain. The young man noticed a shiny pebble among the pebbles. Which was so beautiful that the boy took it to the farm and gave it to his sister Louise. So in South Africa, the first diamond was found, later called "Eureka". The Governor of the Cape sent a 21.25 carat diamond to London to be shown at the Paris World Exhibition of 1867-1868. The Jacobs family refused to accept monetary compensation, saying that an ordinary stone is not worth that much.

History of the stone "Sancy" very confused; perhaps the stories of two or more stones are intertwined in it. According to the description, the stone has an almond shape and is covered with many small facets on both sides.

It is possible that this is one of the diamonds bought around 1570 in Constantinople by Nrcola Arles, seigneur de Sancy, who was the French ambassador to the Ottoman court. At the end of the century, when he was ambassador to the court of St. James, Sancy sold the stone to Queen Elizabeth. About a hundred years later, in 1695, the diamond was sold by James II to Louis XIV, King of France, for 625,000 francs (approximately £25,000). In an inventory of the regalia of the French crown, compiled in 1791, the stone was valued at 1,000,000 francs (about 40,000 pounds). On August 17, 1792, he was abducted from Garde Meuble. The inventory lists the stone as weighing 533 carats (55 metric carats). There was a version that this stone belonged to Charles the Bold and was stolen from his corpse on the fatal field of Nancy in 1477 by a marauder; however, there is too little evidence to state this with certainty. The next mention of the stone refers to 1828, when it was sold to Prince Demidov. The Sancy was exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1867 and then purchased by Lord Astor as a wedding present for his son. The diamond was shown again in Paris at the Ten Centuries of French Jewelry exhibition; it still belonged to the Astor family. It should be considered erroneous to say that the Sancy stone was sold at the end of the 19th century. to an Indian merchant and passed into the possession of the Maharaja of Patiala; apparently this is a different stone, since its weight is 60.40 carats.

"Star of South Africa" . In 1869, in the Hopetown area, a shepherd named Bowie found a diamond with a net weight of 83.50 carats. He brought the diamond to a farmer, Schalk Van Niekerk, who lived nearby. He did not hesitate to offer him 500 rams, 10 bulls and his horse in return. The news of this discovery caused an invasion of thousands of adventurers. The Bowie Shepherd Diamond, named the "Star of South Africa", after being cut with a "droplet", began to weigh 47.75 carats. In 1974, it was sold at Christie's for $552,000 and ended up in Geneva.

"The Cullinan". In 1904 Thomas Cullinan purchased a mine in the Transvaal province of South Africa. And already on January 26, 1905, at 17:00, his worker found the world's largest diamond in it. It was a stone 11 cm long, 5 cm wide and 6 cm high, weighing 621.20 grams (3106 carats). Thomas Cullinan named this fabulous treasure after himself and then sold it to the Transvaal government for $750,000 at the time.

The government of the Transvaal solemnly presented the Cullinan to the English king Edward VII for his birthday. The diamond arrived in London by mail in a simple package with a stamp. At the same time, a magnificent production was played: the attention of reporters from all over the world was riveted to a mysterious sealed cardboard box that was transported aboard the royal ship. Instead of the famous diamond, the box contained a piece of glass of the same weight. Interpol specially organized this performance to divert the attention of major criminals. The work on the Cullinan was entrusted to the Asher brothers, famous diamond cutters from Amsterdam. They have already proven their skills once by cutting the Excelsior diamond (the second largest in the world) found in South Africa at the Jagersfontein mine in 1903.

It was decided to cut the Cullinan into many small stones of different weights. On February 10, 1908, the historical cutting of the diamond took place. The tension was so great that Joseph Asher fainted, believing that the first decisive cut he had made had been unsuccessful. However, everything worked out, and as a result of sawing, 9 large and 96 small stones were obtained, the final cutting of which took months. 65% of the mass of stones was lost during the cutting process. Among the largest stones obtained after the splitting of the Cullinan diamond was the "Cullinan I", or "Big Star of Africa", weighing 530.20 carats, which became the largest diamond in the world (the other eight gems were called "Small Stars of Africa") . The Asher brothers received 102 out of 105 diamonds as a reward from the king for cutting.

In 1910, South African Prime Minister Louis Botha bought this famous batch of stones from them. By agreement with Parliament, he decided to give them to the Princess of Wales, the future Queen Mary. This priceless gift was given to the Princess at Marlborough House by the same Richard Solomon who had given the uncut Cullinan diamond to Edward VII three years earlier.

"Regent"
One of the famous historical stones, the largest (mass 136.75 carats) of the diamonds stored in the Louvre. Found in the mines of Golconda in India in 1700 by a Hindu slave who cut his thigh and hid the stone in the wound under a bandage. The English sailor promised the slave freedom for the diamond, but having lured him onto the ship, he took the stone away and killed him. He sold the diamond for £1,000 to the English governor of Fort St. George Pitt, whose name the stone was named until 1717, when the Duke of Orleans, regent of France, bought the stone for Louis XV for 3,375,000 francs. In 1792, during the looting of the royal palace, the stone disappeared, but was later found. The republican government of France pledged the diamond to the wealthy Moscow merchant Treskov; General Bonaparte (Napoleon I) ransomed him, who ordered him to be set in the hilt of his sword. In 1886, during the sale of the treasures of the French crown, the Regent was bought for 6 million francs for the Louvre Museum.

"Shah" - one of the most famous historical stones, a diamond (weight 88 carats), is stored in the Diamond Fund of Russia in Moscow. The inscriptions in Persian are engraved on the stone, telling about its former owners: in 1591 the diamond belonged to Burhan-Nizam-Shah II from the Great Mogul dynasty, in 1641 - to Jahan-Shah, in 1824 - to Shah Qajar-Fath-Ali, the ruler of Persia. The diamond is not faceted, but only polished; some of the natural faces of the octahedron have been preserved. Its shape is elongated, at one end a deep annular groove is cut for hanging the stone. The stone hung over the Mughal throne for a long time as a talisman. In 1829, after the defeat of the Russian embassy in Tehran and the assassination of the poet and diplomat A. S. Griboedov, a delegation headed by the Shah's son Khosrov-Mirza was sent to St. Petersburg. Among the "redemptive gifts" Nicholas I was presented with an old diamond on behalf of the Shah.

"Black Orlov" . Its origin and steel gray color remain a mystery. Some speculate that it used to be a 195-carat "Eye of Brahma" stone set into a statue in the Pondicherry area. Others believe that this diamond was kept in a casket by the Russian princess Nadezhda Orlova. Meanwhile, a princess with that name never existed. In addition, the black diamond was never mentioned in India, where this color is considered an unkind sign. Finally, the square step cut of the stone appeared no earlier than a hundred years ago! Wherever the Black Orlov, which now weighs 67.50 carats, came from, New York-based jeweler Winston exhibited it as a curiosity and then set it, along with other diamonds, in a platinum necklace that changed over and over again. from hand to hand. It was last sold at Sotheby's in New York.

"Dresden Green Diamond"- a beautiful apple-green diamond, flawless, purest water; is a decoration for a hat. He is in the Green Cellars. Weighs 41 metric carats. It is the largest known green diamond and one of the rarest gemstones. The stone was purchased by King Friedrich August II of Saxony in 1743. Probably comes from India.

"Anniversary" . In late 1895, a large diamond was found at the Jagersfontein mine, which was first named "Reitz" in honor of F. W. Reitz, who was then President of the Orange Republic. However, in 1897, after cutting, this name was changed to "Jubilee" in memory of the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne. The diamond was an irregularly shaped octahedron with no distinct edges and weighed 650.8 metric carats. From it was obtained a wonderful, flawless diamond weighing 245.35 metric carats, and from the "waste" - a pandelok diamond weighing 13.34 metric carats. A large diamond was shown at the Paris Exhibition of 1900. Shortly thereafter, it was sold and, after changing several owners, was purchased by Paul-Louis Weiller for the Washington Smithsonian Institution and put on display.

"Red Cross" . A large square canary yellow diamond was given by the London Diamond Syndicate for sale at auction in April 1918 to replenish the funds of the British Red Cross and the Jerusalem Order of St. John; in honor of this event, the name of the stone was given. The stone was found in the De Beers mines in West Griqualand and originally weighed between 370 and 380 metric carats. After cutting, its weight was reduced to 205 metric carats. An interesting feature of this stone is that, if you look through the table face, you can see a series of inclusions, shaped like a Maltese cross.

"Yellow Diamond Tiffany" . This beautiful orange-yellow stone weighing 128.5 carats was obtained from a crystal found in the Kimberley mine around 1878 and weighed 287.4 metric carats. (Some, however, refer to the mine as "De Beers" and 1887.) The diamond belongs to the New York jewelry firm Tiffany & Co.; it was put on display in the window of this company. The cut of the stone is interesting: quadrangular with rounded corners; 40 facets on the crown, 49 on the pavilion; there is a plate and a significant size culet.

"De Beers" . In 1888, a pale yellow curved octahedron weighing 428.5 carats (440 metric carats) was found at the De Beers mine. The diamond got its name in honor of the De Beers mine. A diamond weighing 234.5 metric carats was cut from it, which was purchased by an Indian prince.

"Porter Rhodes" . On February 12, 1880, a bluish-white diamond was found at Mr. Porter-Rhodes' property in the Kimberley Mine, named after the owner of the property. It weighed 153.5 metric carats and was a rare specimen of a diamond, not only because of its size, but also because of its qualities; no such diamond had been found in South Africa until that time. In 1937, the diamond passed into private ownership, was taken to India and re-cut into an emerald-cut diamond weighing 56.6 carats.

The famous Orlov diamond

The famous "Orlov" ("Amsterdam" or "Lazarev") stone is probably the most remarkable diamond ever found in India. It was discovered in the Kollur mines of Golconda at the beginning of the 17th century. and was a fragment weighing 300 carats, separated along the cleavage plane from a larger diamond crystal, which had the shape of a rounded dodecahedron. Judging by the shape of the fragment, the full crystal must have weighed 450 carats, so the fragment found was about two-thirds of the original stone. The stone was purchased by Shah Jehan; the cut was made in the form of an Indian rose with a large number of small facets arranged in tiers.

The stone still retains its original Indian cut and is therefore of great historical interest. The base of the stone corresponds to the plane of the cleavage. Stone height from base 22 mm, length 35 mm, width from 31 to 32 mm. After cutting, the weight of the stone was reduced to 199.6 metric carats, and Shah Jehan was very unhappy with this loss. The stone has a pleasant bluish-green hue. According to legend, the Orlov diamond was one of the diamonds that served as the eyes of the statue of Brahma, installed in a temple on one of the islands of the Cauvery River near Trichinopoly, in Madras.

The diamond was stolen at the beginning of the 18th century. a French soldier who treacherously ingratiated himself with the priest of the temple and became one of the guards of the temple. He sold the stone for £2,000 to the captain of an English ship, who in turn sold it to a Jewish merchant in London.
for 12,000 pounds.

Whatever the actual early history of the stone, it is undeniable that in 1773 it was bought in Amsterdam from the Armenian merchant Lazarev by Prince Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov and presented to Empress Catherine II. It is said that 400,000 rubles were paid for the stone, or, in another version, 90,000 pounds, together with 4,000 pounds of rent. The stone "Orlov" was inserted into a carved silver frame and fixed in the upper part of the Russian sovereign scepter. It is currently stored in
Diamond Fund in Moscow.

We know that diamonds are kings among stones. They have been admired and influenced by their mystical beauty for centuries. We offer you an overview of "the most famous diamonds in the world"

1. Culinan - I

One of the most famous and largest cut diamonds is the Cullinan-I or the Big Star of Africa - 530.2 carats. Transparent, colorless. Has 74 faces. Drop-shaped (pandelok). Decorates the scepter of the English King Edward VII. The largest cut diamond in the world. Stored in the Tower, London. If the Cullinan I was removed from the scepter, it could be worn as a brooch.

Orlov diamond, presented by Grigory Orlov to Empress Catherine II as a token of his fiery love for her in 1775. The diamond has been known since the time when it was inserted into the eye of the Idol that adorned the palace of Brahma in India, and later was given to Shah Nadir. The Orlov diamond has a slightly bluish-green tint. It adorns the imperial scepter and measures 32mmX35mmX31mm. According to legend, when the Russians were expecting the capture of Moscow by Napoleon in 1812, the diamond was hidden in the tomb of a priest. However, Napoleon deliberately sought out the place where the diamond was hidden, and when he reached for it, the ghost of a priest emerged from the grave, casting spells against Napoleon's army. Thus Napoleon escaped without touching the diamond. The diamond is kept in the Kremlin's diamond fund.

One of the famous historical stones, a diamond (weight 88 carats), is stored in the Diamond Fund of Russia in Moscow. The inscriptions in Persian are engraved on the stone, telling about its former owners: in 1591 the diamond belonged to Burkhan Nizam Shah II of the Great Mogul dynasty, in 1641 to Jahan Shah, in 1824 to Shah Qajar Fath Ali, the ruler of Persia. The diamond is not faceted, but only polished; some of the natural faces of the octahedron have been preserved. Its shape is elongated, at one end a deep annular groove is cut for hanging the stone.

The stone hung over the Mughal throne for a long time as a talisman. In 1829, after the defeat of the Russian embassy in Tehran and the assassination of the poet and diplomat A. S. Griboedov, a delegation headed by the Shah's son Khosrov-Mirza was sent to St. Petersburg. Among the "redemptive gifts" Nicholas I was presented with an old diamond on behalf of the Shah.

4. Black Orlov

Its origin and steel gray color remain a mystery. Some speculate that it used to be a 195-carat Eye of Brahma stone set into a statue in the Pondicherry area. Others believe that this diamond was kept in a casket by the Russian princess Nadezhda Orlova. Meanwhile, the princess with that name never existed. In addition, the black diamond was never mentioned in India, where this color is considered an unkind sign. Finally, the square step cut of the stone appeared no earlier than a hundred years ago.

Wherever the Black Orlov, which now weighs 67.50 carats, came from, New York jeweler Winston exhibited it as a curiosity and then set it, along with other diamonds, in a platinum necklace that changed over and over again. from hand to hand. It was last sold at Sotheby's in New York.

Regent ("Pitt"), one of the famous historical stones, the largest (weight 136.75 carats) of diamonds stored in the Louvre. Found in the mines of Golconda in India in 1700 by a Hindu slave who cut his thigh and hid the stone in the wound under a bandage. The English sailor promised the slave freedom for the diamond, but having lured him onto the ship, he took the stone away and killed him.

He sold the diamond for 1000 pounds to the English governor of Fort St. George Pitt, whose name the stone was called until 1717, when the Duke of Orleans, regent of France, bought the stone for Louis XV for 3375 thousand francs. In 1792, when the royal palace was plundered, the stone disappeared, but was then found. The republican government of France pledged the diamond to the wealthy Moscow merchant Treskov; General Bonaparte (Napoleon I) ransomed him, who ordered him to be set in the hilt of his sword. In 1886, during the sale of the treasures of the French crown, the Regent was bought for 6 million francs for the Louvre Museum.

6. Kohinoor

This famous diamond can rightly be called "historical". Its history spans not one hundred or two hundred years, but twenty centuries (56 BC). According to Indian tradition, a child was found on the banks of the Yamuna River; a beautiful diamond burned in his forehead; this was Koh-i-Nor. The elephant mahout's daughter picked up the newborn and brought him to the court. This child was none other than Karna, the son of the sun god. The stone, whose net weight was then 600 carats, was set on the statue of the god Shiva in place of the third eye, which brings enlightenment.

In the annals, this diamond was first mentioned in 1304. Then it belonged to the Raja of Malwa. Then, for two centuries, nothing was known about the stone. Only in 1526 was it discovered among the treasures of Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty. The Mughals kept the stone for two hundred years, until 1739, when the ruler of Persia, Nadir Shah, sacked Delhi. However, the legendary diamond was not among the military booty: the defeated shah hid it in the folds of his turban. But Nadir Shah was more cunning. According to custom, the victor held a magnificent feast in honor of the enemy, at which the former enemies exchanged their turbans as a sign of peace. Through this ruse, Nadir Shah made the most of his triumph. After the assassination of the shah in 1747, his son, who inherited the stone, preferred, according to legend, to die under torture, but did not give out the legendary diamond.

Then "Koh-i-Nor" changed owners many times, ended up in the hands of the Afghans, Sikhs, and in 1849 was abducted by the British, who captured Lahore. The diamond, under the strictest security, was sent aboard the Medea to London, where it was presented to Queen Victoria on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the East India Company. He appeared before the eyes of Her Majesty's subjects at the 1851 World's Fair at the Crystal Palace. However, the stone did not cause a sensation: due to the Indian cut, its brilliance was rather dull. The Queen summoned the famous diamond cutter Voorzanger of the Koster Company from Amsterdam and ordered him to cut a "mountain of light". This cut, which reduced the weight of the diamond from 186 to 108.93 carats, brought him unfading worldwide fame.

Now "Kohinoor" is inserted into the Royal State Crown.

7. Golden Jubilee Diamond

Discovered in 1986 in South Africa, this diamond, originally called the Unnamed Brown, weighed 755.5 carats. A brown-yellow diamond for a very long time had the name Unnamed Brown. But in 1997, the stone was purchased as a gift to the Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the 50th, "golden" anniversary of the monarch's reign. It was then that the stone finally got its name. The price of the diamond is unknown.

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