Diamonds come in a variety of sizes and colors. This variety has made affording a diamond possible for a wide range of people. However, there have been famous diamonds in world history that only the very wealthy could ever own. It is the popularity of these famous diamonds that have provided energy for the diamond business. Some of these famous diamonds have been recreated in natural stones or in synthetic stones as a tribute to their beauty. The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carat blue diamond surrounded by many clear white diamonds. It has been around since the 1600’s and is now kept at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. An imitation of the Hope Diamond has been recreated in the past for the movie “Titanic.” In addition, other synthetic stones, as well as real stones, have been created into jewelry to resemble the diamond. The Hope Diamond is considered one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry.
No diamond has captured the fascination more than the Taylor-Burton diamond. This is a 69 carat diamond given to Elizabeth Taylor by her then husband Richard Burton. Elizabeth Taylor wore the exquisite diamond for the first time at the 40th birthday celebration of Princess Grace of Monaco. The diamond was later auctioned off for $5,000,000 and the money was used to build a hospital in Botswana.
The term flawless takes on new meaning with the De Beers Centenary Diamond. This is a 273.85 carat diamond. It is rated grade D in color which is the highest grade of colorless diamond you can find. It is also internally and externally flawless.
There are emeralds and then there are green diamonds. The Dresden Green diamond is a 41 carat natural green diamond that has it’s origin in the 1700’s. The name is after the capital of Saxony, Germany and there is where you can find the diamond. It is located in the “The New Green Vault”. The unique color of the stone is due to natural exposure to radioactive materials.
Of course many people are aware of the Imperial Crown Jewels of Persia which is one of the largest collections of jewels in the worlds. It is crowns, thrones, tiaras, aigrettes, swords and shields that are gem studded as well as loose gems. In addition to emeralds and rubies it contains the largest collection of yellow diamonds in the world.
One of the most fascinating of diamonds are brown diamonds and the Earth Star Diamond is a brown cut diamond of 111.59 carats. It came from a 2500 foot level of a volcanic diamond bearing pipe. The color of the diamond is equivalent to fancy cognac. It has a C7 color grade. The diamond was bought for $900,000 by a resident of Florida.
The United States is known for a large diamond as well. The Uncle Sam diamond is the largest diamond ever found in the United States. It is a pale brown diamond and it was found at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The rough diamond weighed in at 40.23 carats and was found in 1924 by W.O. Bassum.
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