The 5 Most Amazing Diamonds on the Planet
March 27th, 2013 by Noam Flint
No one knows who discovered the first diamond and then learned that if it was polished the right way it became a thing of radiant beauty. Technological advances have made it possible for the diamond to be polished, cut and faceted till it’s not merely a thing of surpassing beauty, but an object of veneration and historical import. Here’s a list of the five most amazing diamonds on the planet.
The Centenary Diamond
This astonishing diamond was found in the Premier mine in South Africa in 1988. The original stone had an amazing weight of 599 carats. Cutting and polishing whittled it down to nearly 274 carats (273.85ct to be exact). The diamond has 247 facets and was initially owned by De Beers, the South African diamond merchants. Then, it was bought by an unknown person who probably had about $100 million to spend on it. For $100 million was how much this diamond is insured for. It’s called the Centenary Diamond because it was cut to celebrate De Beers’ centenary.
The Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond is, of course, supposed to be cursed. This is 45.53 carat, blue-gray diamond glows brilliant red when it’s exposed to UV light, an effect so eerie that it seems to have contributed to the stone’s bad reputation. According to Jean Tavernier, it’s first verified owner, the diamond comes from the Kollur mine in India. He either bought it or stole the original stone from its owner and brought it to France where it went through several adventures and passed through a few hands, including those of Louis XIV and Louis XV. As for the curse, there’s nothing to it. It simply seems that the diamond had so many owners and handlers that a few of them were bound to have bad ends whether they owned it or not.
The Hope Diamond
The Heart of Eternity
Like the Hope diamond, the heart of eternity is also blue, but a lush, peacock blue with purple highlights. It also originated in South Africa’s Premier mine, weighs 27.6 carats and has a private owner.
The Millennium Star
Interesting, the Millennium Star was first displayed on 1999 as a part of the De Beers Millennium Diamond Collection along with the Heart of Eternity. It is a beautiful colorless diamond that weighs 203.04 carats. It’s also considered flawless, which is rare for so large a diamond. The Millennium Star is still owned by De Beers. When there was a suspicion that someone planned to burgle it, De Beers had a duplicate made. But neither the real diamond nor the fake were ever taken.
The Idol’s Eye Diamond
Myth claims that this diamond, another brilliant blue stone, was stolen out of the head of an idol in Libya, which is unlikely as Muslim countries forbid statues of gods and goddesses. However, Abdul Hamid II, a Sultan of the Ottoman empire, did buy the diamond, which was stolen from him. Eventually, this diamond, like so many others, ended up with Harry Winston. He then sold it to Frederick Bonfils, who gave it to his daughter. It’s now in a beautiful setting surrounded by smaller, white diamonds.
