Quite a few diamonds have been talked over the world and some of them form a part of world’s history. Depending on their uniqueness, they decorated the crown of kings down to the armor of warriors.
The Mountain Of Light
One of the rare oval shaped diamonds, the “mountain of light” was mentioned in 1304 for the first time. It had an amazing weight of 186 carats, and it is believed to have decorated the famous Peacock Throne of Shah Jehan, in one of the eyes of the two peacocks therein.
During the reign of Queen Victoria, its shape was altered a bit and it was re-cut to weigh 108.93 carats. The diamond continues to be in one of the British Crown Jewels.
The Orloff
The Orloff diamond is believed to have weighed about 300 carats. This gem amongst the most famous diamonds rests at the Diamond Treasury of the former Soviet Union -Moscow.
Legend has it that the Orloff was housed in the eye of a god, in the temple of Sri Rangen, and that’s how it came to be known as one of the most famous diamonds of world.
The Regent
The original weight of this amazingly large diamond was 410 carats! And, it was named “The Pitt”, after the English Prime Minister, William Pitt. it was cut to acquire a round shape and weighed more than 140 carats.
In 1717, the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France bought it and renamed it as “The Regent”. The stone was set into the crown of Louis XV at the time of his coronation.
At the end of the French Revolution “The Regent” belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, and was placed in the hilt of his sword.
At present the diamond is displayed for public viewing at the Louvre.
The Blue Hope
The most famous of all diamonds, the Blue Hope, was owned by Louis XIV and originally called as “the blue diamond of the crown”. It was stolen during the French revolution and landed in London in the year 1830. There it was bought by Henry Philip Hope and got its name from its possessor.
It earned the reputation of bringing bad luck to its owner. Every member of the family of Henry Philip Hope died as a pauper while it was in his possession. Subsequently, the Blue Hope was owned by Mr. Edward McLean. He also lost members of his family as paupers.
At present it is housed in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington.
Posted in 
Tags: