11/12/2013
Many of the world’s most famous diamonds have been lost to history; they were either re-cut as is the case with the most famous diamond of all, the Koh-I-Noor, or their whereabouts is unknown.
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22/09/2009
The Spoonmaker’s origin is not clear; however, the official historian of the Ottoman court, Rasid, describes it thusly:
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Famous Diamonds
Sancy
22/09/2009
Colourless with a greenish-yellow tint, the Sancy is a 55.23-carat, shield-shaped stone said to be one of the first diamonds to be cut with symmetrical facets. It is also unusual because the gem has no pavilion – just a pair of crowns.
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Famous Diamonds
Pasha
22/09/2009
Considered the finest gem in the Egyptian Treasury, the Pasha “weighs 40 carats, is of octagonal form, is brilliant cut, and is of very good quality and lively”, according to reports.
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22/09/2009
The Nur-ul-ain is a brilliant-cut oval diamond of around 60 carats. Its name means “light of the eye” in Persian and Arabic.
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Famous Diamonds
Nassak
22/09/2009
The Nassak is one of those unfortunate Mogul-cut stones that has been re-cut throughout history to appease more modern tastes.
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22/09/2009
The Idol’s Eye is a 70.21-carat Golconda diamond, possessing a blue tinge characteristic of many diamonds from that source, and shaped like an Old Mine cut – but with nine main facets instead of eight.
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Famous Diamonds
Hope
22/09/2009
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22/09/2009
According to the famous French diamond merchant and explorer Jean Baptiste Tavernier, the Great Mogul was discovered around 1550 in the Gani mine near Galconda (India), and weighed 780 carats in the rough.
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22/09/2009
Once the great yellow diamond of the Medici Family, this historic Indian stone was actually light yellow with a slight green overtone, and fashioned in highly irregular form; it was a double rose-cut diamond with nine sides and 126 facets weighing 137.27 carats.
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22/09/2009
Considered the most celebrated diamond in the Iranian Crown Jewels and one of the oldest known to man, the 186-carat Darya-i-noor is a crudely-fashioned, pink, table or taviz-cut diamond with a name that means river of light.
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22/09/2009
According to the legend, the 67.50-carat, cushion-cut Black Orlov is
said to have taken its name from the Russian Princess Nadia
Vyegin-Orlov, to whom it belonged during the mid-eighteenth century.
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