Royal Diamonds

Royal Diamonds are the largest uncut or the most famous diamonds in the world. They were owned by royal families or legendary people.

The Darya-i-Nur Diamond

This royal diamond, like the Koh-i-Noor, was said to have been owned by the first Mogul emperor of India. The Darya-i-Nur is one of the oldest diamonds known to man. It is a 186-carat crudely fashioned gemstone measuring 41.40 x 29.50 x 12.15mm. Darya-i-Nur means Sea of Light, Ocean of Light or River of Light and it is a table or 'taviz' cut diamond.

The Darya-i-Nur came into possession of royalty, as did the Koh-i-Noor, however, the diamond was mounted in an elaborate frame, which is surmounted by the Lion and Sun (the emblem of the Imperial Government of Iran), set with four hundred fifty-seven diamonds and four rubies. To this day, it is mounted in the same frame.

The Crown Jewels are kept in the Central Bank of Iran in Tehran, this is where the Darya-i-Nur is kept also, some searchers contend, however, that the Darya-i-Nur was acquired by the East India Co. and the diamond was exhibited at London's Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851. Iranian Officials told the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) that the Crown Jewels never left the Treasure Vaults in 1964.

The Koh-i-Noor Diamond

The Koh-i-Noor is said to be the most famous of all diamonds, it dates from before Christ, although, the possibility of its appearance came around the year, 1300. According to legend, it has been said, "whoever owns the Koh-i-Noor, ruled the world". The earliest known reference to a diamond, maybe the Koh-i-Noor was found in Baburnama, the memoirs of Babur, the first Mogul ruler of India.

Babur (meaning lion, not birth name) was a descendant of the fifth generation of Tamerlane on the male side and the fifteenth degree of Genghis Khan on the female side of his family. He was born in 1483. Descended from two of the greatest conquerors in Asia, Babur was also a great conqueror. After living the much desired life as a great conqueror with the diamond in his possession, Babur died in December, 1530.

Queen Victoria Statue

Statue of Queen Victoria

Since Babur's death, the Koh-i-Noor has been proudly worn by royalty for hundreds of years, until 1853, when Garrards mounted the diamond in a magnificent tiara for the Queen Victoria, which contained more than two thousand diamonds.

Queen Victoria ordered a new regal circlet for the Koh-i-Noor five years later, which was delivered the following year. The Garrards made a new crown for Queen Mary, which she wore for the coronation. The crown was made of only diamonds with the Koh-i-Noor in 1911.

Since then, in 1937, the Koh-i-Noor diamond was transferred to the crown made for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, which was based on the Queen Victoria's regal circlet. The diamond is set in the Maltese Cross at the front of the crown. Today, it sits as a re-cut 109-carat dazzling diamond, in the Queen's crown, in the Tower of London.

Jewelry Set of Queen Mary

Jewelry Set of The Queen Mary

Queen Mary Mugs

Queen Mary and King George Commemorative Mugs

The Krupp Diamond

This royal diamond belongs to the legendary actress and queen of Hollywood, the English-American born, Dame Elizabeth Taylor. It was sold to her at Sotheby's on May 16, 1968, for $305,000. The Krupp diamond weighs 33.19 carats and it is mounted in a ring.

Taylor wears it nearly every day and in every film since acquiring it in 1968. Taylor was a special quest star on the animated series, The Simpsons, where her ring was animated for her appearance on the show. It is her favorite piece and has become a part of Taylor's image. She is famously known for her diamonds.

The Krupp Diamond originally belonged to Vera Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, second wife of Alfried Krupp of the German industrialists Krupp family. It was sold as part of her estate. The diamond is an emerald cut, with length and width proportions closer to an Asscher cut.

Note: Some sources say, the famous Welsh actor, Richard Burton bought the Krupp diamond and gave it to Elizabeth Taylor, at that time his wife, from Sotheby's on May 16, 1968, for $305,000, the highest ever paid for a diamond ring at an auction.

The Simpsons Hollywood Star

The Simpsons Hollywood Star

Oppenheimer Diamond

The Oppenheimer Diamond is one of the largest uncut diamond in the world. It is 253.7 carat (50.74g) but, since it is uncut, it's not a gem. The Oppenheimer diamond is a yellow diamond crystal. This royal diamond measures approximately 20 x 20 millimeters, it was discovered in the Dutoitspan mine, Kimberly, South Africa in 1964. Harry Winston acquired the royal diamond from DeBeers and presented it to the Smithsonian Institution in memory of the late Sir Ernest Oppenheimer.

The Oppenheimer still exists in its natural form, which is a perfectly 8-faced geometric figure with dimensions of crystals and rounded edges, a common shape for most of the earth's royal diamonds. It is considered to be a huge crystal, where as, many crystals have been found in the earth's surface, but, were cut into diamond gemstones. Crystal lovers can see this huge famous yellow crystal at the Smithsonian.

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