Hope Diamonds
Among the most well known diamonds is the Hope. This 45.52 carat steel blue diamond is currently on display at the Smithsonian. The legends of the ill-fortune and curse bestowed on the possessor of the Hope Diamond are many. This diamond was donated to the Smithsonian in 1958. The Hope was originally a rather flat, blocky 110-carat rough.
The Dresden Green stands out among the natural colored diamonds. It is the largest green diamond in the world weighing
40.70 carats. This diamond is historic, large and has a natural green color with a slight blue overtone. These facts make it virtually priceless.
The Conde Pink is a pear shaped and weighs 9.01-carats. This pink diamond was once owned by Louis XIII.
The Tiffany Yellow diamond a beautiful canary-yellow octahedron weighing 287.42 in the rough (metric) carats discovered in
either 1877 or 1878 in South Africa. The gem after cutting boasts the extraordinary weight of 128.54 carats. And until recently,
was the largest golden-yellow in the world.
The Koh-I-Noor ( Mountain of Light ) is now among the British Crown Jewels. This diamond weighs 105.60 carats. First
mentioned in 1304, it is believed to have been once set in Shah Jehan‘s famous peacock throne as one of the peacocks eyes.
The Agra is graded as a naturally colored Fancy Light Pink and weighs 32.34 carats. It was sold for about 6.9 million in 1990.
Since this sale, it has been modified to a cushion shape weighing about 28.15 carats.
The Transvaal Blue is pear cut. This blue diamond weighs 25 carats. It was found in the Premier Diamond Mine in Transvaal,
South Africa.
The Great Chrysanthemum was discovered in the summer of 1963, in a South African diamond field. This 198.28-carat fancy
brown diamond appeared to be a light honey color in its rough state. However, after cutting, it proved to be a rich golden
brown, with overtones of sienna and burnt orange.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond is a pear-shaped 69.42 carat diamond. Cartier of New York purchased this diamond at an auction in 1969 and christened it "Cartier." The next day Richard Burton bought the diamond for Elizabeth Taylor. He renamed it the "Taylor-Burton”. In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor put the diamond up for sale. Prospective buyers had to pay $2,500 each to view the diamond to cover the costs of showing it. Finally, in June of 1979, the diamond was sold for nearly $3 million dollars.
Are Valentine Day Diamonds Really Rare?
What is the best diamond to get your loved one on Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 and so it is important for loved ones to give gifts of love to celebrate. If you have decided that a diamond is in order you might wonder which diamond would be the best diamond to give on Valentine's Day. There are so many beautiful diamonds to choose from when you walk into a jewelry store that you might want to do a bit of research before hand in order to decide before hand which type of diamond will match your loved one's personality.
Diamonds can be thought of as really rare. For every one million diamonds that are mined, only one will be found that is a quality one caret diamond. In order to find a two caret diamond, about five million diamonds must be mined. More than two hundred tons of ore must be mined to find one small diamond, and even then, more than 80% of the diamonds that are mined are only good for industrial use, such as diamond drill bits.
It sometimes is easier than you thought to find the perfect diamond. Some diamonds are heart shaped and others have red, pink and yellow stones. In fact ORRA Diamonds has added a new collection of diamond jewelry
- the Hearts and Arrows Collection, to celebrate the season of love. The collection includes pendants crafted in pink and yellow gold and set with the Heart and Arrow diamond. The heart and arrow diamond is a perfectly cut diamond, in which you can see hearts and arrows inside the diamond. The pendant has hearts in pink and yellow gold entwined together which symbolises the unison of two hearts- two people becoming one.
After you have found the perfect Valentine's diamond gift, how will you present it? For Valentines Day is a special day and presenting your diamond gift with a box of heart shaped chocolates will go a long way towards winning the affection of your loved one.
After giving your diamond gift, don't be surprised if your loved one looks at you with new appreciation – knowing that you and their favorite diamond is one in a million!
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