Famous Diamonds

Among the most well known diamonds is the Hope. This 45.52 carat steel blue diamond is currently on display at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History and is almost a compulsory stop on the family visit to Washington D.C. The legends of the ill-fortune and curse bestowed on the possessor of the Hope Diamond are many. This diamond was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. The Hope was originally a rather flat, blocky 110-carat rough.

The Dresden Green stands out among the natural colored diamonds. It is the largest green diamond in the world weighing 40.70 carats. This diamond is historic, large and has a natural green color with a slight blue overtone. The green color is usually caused by the crystal's coming into contact with a radioactive source at some point during its lifetime, and in geological terms, this is measured in millions of years. These facts make it virtually priceless.

The Conde Pink is a pear shaped and weighs 9.01-carats. The Conde Pink Diamond also known as the Conde Diamond or Le Grand Conde gets its name from Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince of Conde, and the Commander of the French Army, who was presented the diamond as a token of appreciation by King Louis XIII of France in 1643, for the several successful military victories that were achieved on his behalf. The diamond remained in the Condé family until the Duc d'Aumale bequeathed it to the French Government in 1892. Today, it is on display in the Museé de Condé in Chantilly, France.

The Tiffany Yellow diamond a beautiful canary-yellow octahedron weighing 287.42 in the rough (metric) carats is one of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered in either 1877 or 1878 in South Africa.  The gem after cutting boasts the extraordinary weight of 128.54 carats. And until recently, was the largest golden-yellow in the world.

The Kōh-i Nūr (Mountain of Light) is now among the British Crown Jewels.  This diamond weighs 105.60 carats. The Kōh-i Nūr originated at Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. First mentioned in 1304, it is believed to have been once set in Shah Jehan‘s famous peacock throne as one of the peacocks eyes.

The Agra is graded as a naturally colored Fancy Light Pink and weighs 32.34 carats. It was sold for about 6.9 million in 1990.  Since this sale, it has been modified to a cushion shape weighing about 28.15 carats.

The Transvaal Blue is pear cut.  This blue diamond weighs 25 carats. It was found in the Premier Diamond Mine in Transvaal, South Africa.  

The Great Chrysanthemum was discovered in the summer of 1963, in a South African diamond field. This 198.28-carat fancy brown diamond appeared to be a light honey color in its rough state. However, after cutting, it proved to be a rich golden brown, with overtones of sienna and burnt orange. The diamond is currently owned by Garrard's of London.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a pear-shaped 69.42 carat diamond. Cartier of New York purchased this diamond at an auction in 1969 and christened it "Cartier." The next day Richard Burton bought the diamond for Elizabeth Taylor. He renamed it the "Taylor-Burton”. In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor put the diamond up for sale.  Prospective buyers had to pay $2,500 each to view the diamond to cover the costs of showing it.  Finally, in June of 1979, Henry Lambert, the New York jeweler, stated that he had bought the Taylor-Burton Diamond for $5,000,000.