Recently, Buckingham Palace announced that Camilla, Queen Consort, will not wear the Koh-i-Noor 105-carat diamond at the coronation of King Charles III on May 6. Instead, Camilla will wear a modified version of Queen Mary's crown, made by Garrard for the 1911 coronation, and will reinstate the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds.
As the iconic but highly controversial diamond has made headlines time and time again since the death of Queen Elizabeth in mid-September, here are five of the most iconic diamonds and jewels in all of history.
The Koh-i-Noor diamond
One of the most famous stones that holds the British crown is the Koh-i-Noor diamond - a magnificent 105-carat oval-shaped brilliant-cut diamond.
Although it is only one of the 2,800 stones they placed in the crown they made for the Queen Mother, the Koh-i-Noor diamond has been the subject of controversy for decades. It was presented to Britain by the Maharaja of Lahore in 1847 after the Anglo-Sikh War. India as well as Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have all claimed the famous diamond. A few days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, many Twitter users in India called for its return.
Later, the prospect of Queen Consort Camilla wearing it at the upcoming coronation in May, combined with the newly appointed Prime Minister's ancestry (Rishi Sunak is Britain's first Prime Minister of Indian descent), sparked the same calls again.
In their latest statement, Buckingham Palace said: «Her Majesty's selection of Queen Mary's crown is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used to crown a wife rather than a new commission, in the interests. of sustainability and efficiency.».
The Diamond of Hope
The Hope Diamond, a rare blue diamond weighing 45.52 carats. It is believed to have once been part of the Tavernier Diamond, a famous blue diamond weighing 112 carats. The diamond is named after the French merchant who brought it from India to Europe in 1642.
After its arrival in Europe, the Tavernier Diamond was polished in a 65.50-carat stone to enhance its brilliance.
The rare diamond was then sold to King Louis XIV of France. During the French Revolution in 1789, the diamond was stolen. A smaller diamond of a similar colour was sold to British banker Henry Phillip Hope in 1830, giving the diamond its name.
As with other rare diamonds of this size, stories of a curse in relation to the blue Hope diamond were rampant. In 1911, the diamond was sold to the widow of Edward McLean, founder of the Washington Post.
After her death, Hope Diamond was sold in 1949 to the famous diamond dealer, Harry Winston. He then displayed it at the Smithsonian Museum in 1958, where it remains to this day.
In 2017, a team of scientists from the Smithsonian and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris reconstructed the original Tavernier and French Blue diamonds - the stones from which the Hope Diamond was created.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond
If there is one diamond whose history is closely linked to the events of the 20th century, it is the famous Taylor-Burton diamond. The stone's public life began when it was extracted from the Premier Mine in South Africa, which has since been renamed the Cullinan Mine.
Although it originally weighed 241 carats, it was cut by the late Harry Winston into just under 70 carats, in the shape of a pear. But its first owner decided to sell it at auction. Thus it became the first diamond in the history of the world to be sold publicly for over a million dollars. Its buyer was Robert Kenmore, and then named the stone after the company that owned it, Cartier.
Shortly afterwards, Kenmore sold the diamond to actors Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor for a paltry $100,000. Although he likely gained valuable publicity from the sale, as the two actors were then the most famous movie stars in Hollywood.
Taylor wore it in public on several occasions. Such as Princess Grace of Monaco's 40th birthday and at the 1970 Academy Awards ceremony. Two years after Taylor and Burton divorced in 1976, the stone was auctioned for $5 million. The funds from the sale were used to build a hospital in Botswana.
The Black Diamond Orlov
The most famous black diamond of all time is the Black Orlov. A 67.50 carat diamond brooch, cut into a cushion. It is surrounded by 108 white diamonds and is part of a 124 diamond necklace.
Legend has it that the Black Orlov, also known as the «Eye of Brahma» was an uncut 195-carat black stone. It is said to have come out of the eye of a statue of the sacred Hindu god Brahma from a temple in South India. It takes a lot from the story surrounding the legendary Hope diamond.
The diamond was bought by a diamond dealer named Dennis Petimezas in 2004, who is said to have said he was «pretty sure the curse had been broken».
The Breakfast at Tiffany's diamond.
The 128.54-carat yellow diamond was made famous by Audrey Hepburn in the publicity photos for the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany's”. It was discovered in 1877 at the Kimberley mine in South Africa. It was subsequently bought, cut and polished by Tiffany & Co founder Charles Lewis Tiffany.
To date, only four women have worn it, including Hepburn, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. The latter in a 2021 promotional video entitled “Date Night”. A Tiffany tribute to the 1961 classic film and part of Tiffany's 2021 About Love campaign.
In the video, Beyoncé wore the iconic diamond on a 2012 necklace. As well as a Tiffany ring with a 22-carat cushion-cut yellow diamond.
