FAMOUS DIAMONDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19476, 11 May 1925, Page 7

FAMOUS DIAMONDS.

ROMANCE OP GREAT STONES

STORY OF THE CURL I NAN GEM,

The romance of diamonds is an absorbing one. For centuries diamonds have been treasured, and the most famous of the gems have frequently changed owners. Each one has its story. Dealers assert that the most sensational diamond is the Cullinan, which was discovered on June 25, 1905, and weighed 3034 carats in its rough state. (A carat weighs 3174 grains troy and 151 J carats equal one English ounce.) Its finder was Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Oullinan Mine in South Africa, who was presented by his company with 10,000 dollars in recognition of his discovery. Two years later the gem was presented to King Edward VII as a gift from the Government of the Union of South Africa. In the rough it looked like a piece of ice and weighed three-quarters of a pound. Naturally, little use as an adornment could be made of a gem of this size, and it was decided to entrust the firm of Asscher of Amsterdam with the dividing, cutting, and polishing of the stone. Special tools were made with which to cut and polish this stone, which experts pronounced to be almost flawless and of the coveted bluewhite tint. The stone was cut into four pieces by Asscher himself with a perfection that left nothing to be desired. The largest piece was set in King Edward’s sceptre and the second in his crown, while the two smaller pieces were set in the Queen's crown. NOT OLD ENOUGH FOR GLAMOUfe. But the Cullinan diamond is not yet old enough to have acquired the glamour of romance. For drama, history, and romance one must turn to other diamonds. Witness the famous Koh-i-noor, which adorns the crown of the Queen. Its early history is somewhat obscure, but it is thought by many experts to be that diamond of which first mention is made in 1528 in the Memoirs of Sultan Baber.” This potentate, describing a war between two Indian nations, spoke of a diamond that one obtained as booty from the other and picturesquely declared that it wa s worth “ half the daily expenses of the whole world.” For more than two centuries the diamond was lost sight of, and then it was said to be in the possession of one Nadir, Shah of Persia, who had probably obtained it as loot from India. Nadir Shah was murdered, and an Afghan, named Ahmed Shah, obtained possession .of the stone and fled from Persia. This man founded a kingdom at Cabul. Ahmed died in 1773; and 1 the gem was inherited by his son. who died in 1793, and then by Shah Zemaim, bis grandson. Shah Zemaim was driven from his throne and fled to India, carrying the precious, diamond with him. Taken prisoner by the potentate with whom be had sought refuge, he hid the diamond in the wall of his room, and was deprived of his sight in an effort to make him reveal its whereabouts. After endless adventures ho finally regained his throne and tin diamond was taken from its hiding place. Then the Koh-i-noor (if it was the same stone) found its way to England in the 'fifties of the last century. The shape was poor, and it was decided to re-cut it, and 83 1-4 carats were actually sacrificed in order to give the stone a good form. The process of ro-outting took 38 days. " The Mountain of Light,” to give it the English translation of its Eastern name, may now be seen with the crown jewels in the Tower of London. SOVIET OWNS ORLOFF. DIAMOND. The next diamond in size after the Cullinan is the beautiful Orloff diamond, which formed part of the Russian imperial regalia, having been set in the Czar’s sceptre. The stone is now in possession of the Soviet Government, with all the other imperial jewels, and some time ago photographs of the whole collection were published in order to convince the world that the Bolshevists had not, as their enemies asserted, sold the imperial jewels in order to raise funds for their Ggvernment. » The early history of this gem is obscure. It is supposed by many experts to have at one time formed one of the eyes of a huge idol in a Hindu temple at Seringham. A French Soldier, so the tale runs, realising the enormous value of the idol’s diamond eyes, determined to obtain possession c f them. Ho is said to have adopted the native religion and to have ingratiated himself to such an extent with the priests that at length he was allowed to enter the idol by night and act as guard. Then the soldier, according to the story, stole one of the diamonds, escaped to Madras, and sold the stone for £2OOO to an English sea captain, who took it to London and sold it to a Jewish merchant for £IO,OOO. The history of the gem at this point becomes confused. Apparently it was offered for sale in Amsterdam, where it was bought by Prince Orloff, the favourite of the Empress Catherine 11, and presented to his royal patron. The sura paid by Orloff Jor the gem was £90,000 in cash and an annuity of £4OOO. After the Cullinan, some experts consider the most beautiful diamond in the world to be the famous Regent, also known as the Pitt diamond. It weighs 136 3-4 carats, and has a beautiful ■ blue tinge. Its diameter at what is called the “girdle” is one and aquarter inches. Thonas Pitt, grandfather of the famous William Pitt, bought the stone in Malacca from a native merchant for about £14,500. He brought it to England, where its tremendous value caused it to be a constant source of anxiety to him. He sold it, and later it found its way to Prance, whore it. was bought by Louis XV for £135,000. During the French Revolution a commission of French jewellers valued the stone at not less than 12,000,000 francs. At one time it adorned the great Napoleon’s sword, and to-day is still among the royal jewels of France. HOPE GEM IN WASHINGTON. The famous Hope diamond is now in the possession of Mrs Edward M’Lean, of Washington. Little is known of its early history. In 1830 it was acquired by an English banker named Henry Thomas Hope for £87,000. Hiss daughter became the Duchess of Newcastle, and received the diamond as a gift. She in turn presented it to her son, Lord Francis Hope, who married an American actress, May Yohe. The couple were divorced in 1901, and the stone was then sold hy Lord Francis for £33,600 to Simon Prankel, and later was bought by Selim Habib for £BO,OOO. It was afterwards sold to a jeweller named Roseman, who owned it as late as 1909. It seems extraordinary that a commodity so valuable as a really famous diamond could pass out of sight for long periods of time, hut such is the fact. What, for instance, has become of the Great Mogul diamond ? Many experts believe the Great Mogul and the Koh-i-noor to be one and tire same diamond. Others favour the view that the Great Mogul is none other than the Russian Orloff stone. The mystery that surrounds the whereabouts of the Great Mogul serves to make it one of the most interesting of all diamonds. It was first heard of in Europe nearly 400 years ago, and extraordinary stories were circulated regarding its astonishing beauty, size, and fire. In the middle of the seventeenth century Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a famous French traveller and gem expert, saw the diamond in India. It was then the property of the Great Mogul, weighed 279 9-16 carats, and was shaped like the half of a hen’s erg. It was a product of one of the famous Golconda mines. It remained in possession of the Mogul until 1739, when the Persian Nadir Shah, the possessor of the Koh-i-noor, descended on India, seized the diamond and took it home with him. After this nothing definite is known it, and while many believe it to be the Koh-i-noor itself, discrepancies between the weight of the Great Mogul as given by Tavernier and that of the stone in the English Queen’s crown before recutting have led many to reject this explanation.