Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy later sold the diamond to James I (successor of Queen Elizabeth) about 1605 when it is thought the Sancy acquired its name. It was described in the Tower of London's 1605 Inventory of Jewels as "...one fayre dyamonde, cut in fawcetts, bought of Sauncy." Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy (1546–1629) was a French soldier and diplomat. Although de Harlay belonged to the Protestant branch of the family of Harlay, he adopted the Catholic religion in 1572 during the massacres of the Huguenots. In 1589 he obtained in Geneva and Berne sums sufficient to
Beau-Séjour Palace Pinheiro—by his heirs. In the 1930s, following the death of D. Maria da Glória Leite, "Beau-Séjour" passed into the hands of her goddaughter and her husband (Augusto Fernandes de Almeida). Ultimately, most of the contents were sold at auction, along with the estate, which came into the possession of the Marist Brothers, who established a college in the "palácio". This was a short-lived venture, after which the municipal council of Lisbon eventually acquired the estate in the 1980s. There were alterations to the interior of the house, conforming to the change in the function of the building: there was a