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Lorem Ipsum Fine The big blue That most precious of stones, the blue , the Cullinan Mine in South Africa. The intrepid Huguenot diamond dealer, buyer, Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. It was an uncut has always exerted a dangerous fascination. As Bonhams Luen-Hung, promptly exercised his gem of 112 carats, of deep greyish blue. offers a dazzling Bulgari ring, Katherine Prior looks at right to name his purchase, calling it Tavernier’s patron, Louis XIV of , why these gems generate such excitement the Star of Josephine. But the new Star’s was entranced and bought the stone for record price was soon to be eclipsed. the French royal collection. In 1773, he In 2010, the Bulgari Blue – at 10.95 had it cut into a heart-shaped stone of carats, the largest triangular-cut blue just over 67 carats, whereupon it became diamond in the world – was sold in New known as le diamant bleu de la Couronne de York for $15.7 million (£9.94 million), France. Louis XIV wore it as a , establishing a new price-per- record. but in 1749, Louis XV had it set in the The Bulgari Blue was offered for sale decoration of the order of the Golden here is something about blue in its original setting – a woman’s ring Fleece. The ill-fated Louis XVI also wore . Whether old or that had been fashioned by the Italian it in this setting. In 1792, during the new, whenever they come up house in the 1970s. From the 1950s , thieves looted the for sale, it is an event – and to 70s, the company was renowned royal treasury and stole the crown jewels, the sale records tumble. In 1984, the for its imaginative settings of coloured including the . TTereschenko, a pear-shaped fancy blue diamonds, and diamond of 42.92 metric carats, was it is unsurprising offered for sale in . It had not that other blue “From the 1950s to 70s, Bulgari been seen in public since the Russian diamonds with a was renowned for its imaginative Revolution, and the excitement caused Bulgari pedigree by its reappearance made it impossible should have settings of coloured diamonds” to predict its price. In a minute’s recently appeared feverish bidding, it was knocked down for sale. In September 2011, Bonhams to the collector Robert Mouawad for auctioned a Bulgari ring, c.1960, set with a breathtaking 10 million Swiss francs two pear-shaped diamonds, one white (£6.03 million). Almost a quarter of (3.93 carats) and the other fancy vivid a century later, another famous old blue (3.78 carats); it fetched £1.9 million. blue diamond came to market – the Now Bonhams is selling another Wittelsbach, a deep greyish-blue diamond Bulgari blue diamond ring from the of 35.56 carats, formerly part of both the 1960s in April’s Fine Jewellery sale at Austrian and the Bavarian crown jewels. New Bond Street. The diamond’s origin In 2008, the jeweller Laurence is unknown, but it is possibly an antique Graff paid £16.4 million for it – a world Indian stone. Bulgari’s buyers were record at the time. active in the Indian market in the 1950s, The records continued to fall the when many of the country’s maharajas Left: A rare 5.30 carat fancy deep-blue next year. In 2009, a flawless vivid blue and nawabs were discreetly selling their ‘trombino’ diamond ring, by Bulgari, diamond weighing 7.03 carats was sold in ancestral jewels. circa 1965 Geneva for an astonishing 10.5 million But this doesn’t answer the question Estimate: £1,000,000 - 1,500,000 Swiss francs (£6.2 million). This, too, of why blue diamonds generate such ($1,600,000 - 2,400,000)

made the headlines – it was the highest excitement. Certainly, all are things of Above: Mrs. (left) price paid per carat for any . beauty; but perhaps they gain something presents the Hope Diamond to Unlike the Tereschenko and Wittelsbach, from association with the fabled Hope Leonard Carmichael, Secretary of the however, this was a new diamond, Diamond. This Indian stone was Smithsonian Institute, September 1958 recently cut from a stone excavated at brought to Europe in the 1660s by the

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Blue is the colour What makes a diamond blue? Diamonds are composed of atoms fused to one another, under extreme heat and pressure, in a regular crystalline structure. Above: George IV A diamond containing only carbon atoms reveals itself as the highly by Sir Thomas Lawrence desirable pure white or colourless stone. But most diamonds have minute additions of other substances which colour them in some way. Right: May Yohé, the American , which is often present, gives a yellowish tint. is the actress and wife of Lord Francis Hope, magical ingredient that turns diamonds blue. One boron atom to a 8th Duke of Newcastle who gave the million carbon ones affects the absorption of light passing through the famous diamond its name; stone so that we see it as blue. It also turns the stone, uniquely among Far right: wearing diamonds, into a semi-conductor of electricity. the Hope Diamond How rare are blue diamonds? Opposite: Evalyn Walsh McLean with Diamonds turned blue by boron, known as Type IIb, are extremely rare. the Hope Diamond; There are perhaps 30 to 40 named stones, and fewer than a dozen of the jewel on display at the Smithsonian these exceed 20 carats. The famous antique stones – such as the Hope, Wittelsbach, and Tereschenko – are all believed to come from the Golconda mines in , which was the source, too, of some of the It took 20 years for the diamond There is a theory that Eliason sold his purchased the diamond privately from purest white diamonds in the world. More recently, Type IIb diamonds “Stories of the diamond’s ill fortune have been mined in the Premier or Cullinan Mine in South Africa, to resurface in London, disguised by stone to George IV. Indeed, on 13 March George IV’s estate after his death. Hertz’s including prized stones such as the Copenhagen Blue, Heart of a new cut that had reduced it to 44 1822, the Morning Chronicle stated that cheeky boast about no royal collection spread – of suicidal brokers, jealous Eternity, and Begum Blue. No other sources of Type IIb diamonds are carats (45.52 metric carats). It was the king had paid £20,000 for a “violet- possessing such a wondrous stone may currently known. K.P. owned by Daniel Eliason, a London coloured diamond” and that Mr Eliason be a sign that he knew more about the lovers, murderous revolutionaries” diamond merchant and banker. His of Hatton Garden was to set it for him. diamond’s history than he was letting on. firm had lost funds invested in France, Certainly, Eliason seems to have sold Hope’s diamond eventually and perhaps he saw the diamond as a the gem before his death in 1824, for it descended, in 1887, to a grandson of one stories began to circulate of the she succumbed to the Hope. The deal funds for charity. In 1958, he presented timely form of compensation. At the did not appear in Christie’s auction of of his nephews: Lord Francis Pelham- diamond’s ill fortune. Accounts of was finally sealed in 1911, at a price of it to the Smithsonian Institute in very least, he probably suspected its his residuary estate the following year. Clinton-Hope. Lord Francis had an suicidal brokers, scantily clad dancers, around $180,000, with the Hope newly Washington as the foundation stone for royal origins, for he did not publicise his It did appear, however, in a catalogue expensive gambling habit and a wife jealous lovers, and murderous set by Cartier as a pendant to a white a proposed national collection of jewels. ownership of it until after 1812, when the published in 1839 of a gem collection with no fortune, the American actress revolutionaries all testified to its malign diamond and platinum necklace. Visitors have flocked to see the Hope French government’s 20-year limit on belonging to Henry Philip Hope, a May Yohé. In 1899, desperate for funds, influence. If these were circulated to Evalyn loved the Hope; even when her ever since and, although many would still prosecuting crimes committed during member of a wealthy Anglo-Dutch he tried to sell the diamond, but his increase the diamond’s appeal, they own life was repeatedly hit by tragedy, like to feel it is cursed, the Smithsonian’s the Revolution had expired. banking family. Bram Hertz, the jeweller siblings opposed the sale in the courts. failed – at least initially. The diamond she refused to blame her ‘cursed’ stone. curators cheerfully acknowledge that the who catalogued Hope’s collection, The resultant publicity ensured that the reappeared for sale in , and in 1910 Lengthy battles with morphine addiction famous blue diamond has brought them marvelled at the “matchless gem”, diamond was finally linked to the famous it was bought by Pierre Cartier of the and her husband’s alcoholism had nothing but good luck. concluding “that there exists no cabinet, missing blue from the French crown famous French jewellery house. persuaded her, rather, that good fortune not any collection of crown jewels in the jewels, but this was of small comfort to Cartier had exactly the client in came from within. Katherine Prior is the author of The Maharajahs’ Jewels. world, which can boast of the possession Lord Francis. Finally, in November 1901, mind: Evalyn Walsh McLean, an utterly Evalyn McLean died in 1947, and Her most recent book is Good Hands: 250 Years of Craftsmanship at Swaine Adeney Brigg. of so curious and fine a gem”. he won an order for its sale and a week indulged 24-year-old American mining two years later the Hope Diamond In 1844, Hertz testified that the blue or two later the Hope Diamond, as it heiress. With her husband, Edward was bought, along with the rest of her Sale: Fine Jewellery diamond had been in Henry Hope’s was now invariably called, crossed the Beale McLean, she had already bought jewellery, by the New York dealer Harry New Bond Street possession since at least the autumn of Atlantic in the possession of a New York one huge diamond from Cartier, the Winston. He revelled in its ill-omened Wednesday 24 April at 2pm Enquiries: Jean Ghika +44 (0) 20 7468 8282 1832 and that he had paid £13,000 for diamond merchant, Simon Frankel. 94.8-carat Star of the East. Pierre Cartier reputation, and for nine years he [email protected] it. The dates would fit with Hope having It was around this time that lurid knew it was only a matter of time before travelled the world with it, using it to raise www.bonhams.com/finejewellery

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