Back on the spotlight, the black diamond is tempting us to reach for the dark side.
Darkly magnetic and appealing, these gemstones are capable of adding a truly dramatic and decadent touch, especially if in contrast with white diamonds, gold or platinum.
Before showing you some remarkable piece of jewellery, here is a tiny bit of history:
According to the legend, the Black Orlov is said to have taken its name from the Russian Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov, who owned it for some time during the mid-eighteenth century. It is a 67.50-carat cushion-cut stone, a so-called black diamond (actually, a very dark gun-metal color). It is reported to have belonged to a nineteenth-century shrine near Pondicherry, India, and to have weighed 195 carats in the rough.
Unfortunately the Indian origin of this stone is almost certainly false. There is no documentation of Russia having had a princess by that name, or of India having produced any black diamonds of note.
The Black Orlov is mounted in a modern diamond-and-platinum necklace. An alternate name is the Eye of Brahma Diamond. On October 11th, 2006, the necklace containing the stone figured as lot #433 in a Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale where it sold for $352,000. Its estimate had been $100,000 to $200,000.
Source: Diamonds – Famous, Notable and Unique by GIA, the Gemstone Forecaster, and the Cartier archives.
And now, in order to get ready and contrast the colder season and its gloomy skies, here are some of my favourite black sparkles:
As seen on: Vogue France, The Jewellery Editor, The Telegraph Luxury.
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