Diamonds have fascinated most formal cultures and societies throughout the ages. Their beauty and value have brought about great disputes, warfare and bloodshed. They were generally only available to royalty or the super wealthy until the nineteenth century, when they began to enter the market at more affordable prices and at larger numbers than ever before. Until that time they were highly sought after objects that were used to display great wealth and power.The reputation of diamonds as symbols of strength and wealth begin with the earliest recorded histories. These reveal that diamonds were often placed in a position of worship as well as utility, with some cultures using them for their strength to manufacture tools and weaponry, while others saw them as signs and symbols of protection and decoration. Though most cultures have recognized the strength and beauty of the stones they have also placed value on other gems as well, but somehow it is diamonds that bring about the most scandalous, mysterious and notorious behaviors.
The history of the diamond is full of greed, tremendous wealth, intrigue and outright theft, and from these numerous stories come popular tales about some of the most famous and well-known diamonds, and how they entered into popular or common knowledge.
Perhaps the most well-known diamond in the world, though certainly not the largest, is the famed “Hope Diamond“, permanently on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Exactly why is the stone so well-known? The diamond itself is surrounded by myth and mystery. Its origins are only guessed at, but it is believed to have once been a part of the equally famous “Blue Tavernier Diamond“, brought to Europe in 1642. The exact origin of the “Blue Tavernier” is unknown, except that its country of origin is India. The gray blue diamond was bought outright by King Louis XIV, who then had his jewelers cut it down to 68 carats to emphasize its blue brilliance.
Then came the French Revolution, when the stone was stolen and lost to history until 1830 when a smaller stone, believed to be the missing royal jewel, was sold to Henry Thomas Hope an English banker. From this point forward the stone began to build a reputation as a charm of ill luck and bad fortune. Hope’s son inherited the stone, but lost the family fortune which forced him to sell the diamond to a wealthy American heiress, Mrs. Edward McLean, whose family’s own good fortune also soon dwindled - her only child was lost in an accident, the family lost its fortune, and Mrs. McLean eventually committed suicide. Famous diamond merchant Harry Winston purchased the “Hope Diamond” in 1949, and donated it to the Smithsonian shortly after - with his own fortune safely intact.
Another diamond surrounded by mystery and intrigue is the famous “Orloff“, a whopping three hundred carat bluish green diamond of exceptional clarity. The stone is now housed in the Diamond Treasury of Russia, in Moscow, but it has a long and unusual story behind it. It is believed to have been stolen from the eye of a Vishnu idol (one of the Hindu faith’s many gods) in Sriangam by a French army deserter. In terror and guilt the soldier is believed to have been brave enough to take only the single eye, rather than both, before fleeing. It is believed that he traveled to Madras where quickly sold the “Orloff” for two thousand pounds to an English sailor.
From the point on the stone disappears from recorded history until it reappeared in Amsterdam in the hands of Grigori Orloff, a consort and lover of the Empress Catherine the Great of Russia. He had purchased the gem as a love token for his Empress, and returned to her court to give her his gift. She accepted it and rewarded Orloff with a palace of his own. She also had the stone set into her Imperial Sceptre.
In 1812, after the deaths of the two lovers, Russia was under attack from the armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. His Grand Army was making its way to Moscow, where it was well-known that he would seize the many treasures housed in the city. Fearing the loss of some of their most beloved relics the Russians hid some of the most valuable in the tomb of a famous priest. Unfortunately word of the secret location reached Napoleon, who set out with some of his soldiers to retrieve the treasure. Upon arrival in the tomb it is said that the ghost of the priest appeared to warn off the Emperor and his troops. The Russians insist that this terrorized all who witnessed it and that is the reason that the “Orloff” still resides in Moscow.
Dozens of other tales exist about famous and legendary diamonds, and each year sees the publication of books and stories about these beautiful stones. Fascination and mystery will always surround them, and their beauty will continue to form only a part of their enduring popularity.
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