Wittelsbach Diamond
Encyclopedia
The Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond is a 31.06 carats (6.2 g) fancy deep-blue diamond
with internally flawless clarity
. Laurence Graff purchased the Wittelsbach Diamond in 2008 for £16.4 million Sterling. In 2010, Graff revealed he had had the diamond cut by three diamond cutters to remove flaws. The diamond was now more than 4 carats (800 mg) lighter and was renamed the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond. There is controversy, as critics claim the recutting has altered the diamond as to make it unrecognizable, that its historical integrity has been compromised.
that had been part of both the Austrian
and the Bavarian
Crown jewels
.
Its color and clarity had been compared to the Hope Diamond
. The diamond had measured 24.4 millimetre (0.960629921259842 in) in diameter and 8.29 millimetre (0.326377952755905 in) in depth. It had 82 facets arranged in an atypical pattern. The star facets on the crown were vertically split and the pavilion had sixteen needle-like facets, arranged in pairs, pointing outward from the culet
facet.
. The story that King Philip IV of Spain
purchased the jewel and included it in the dowry of his teenage daughter, Margaret Teresa
, in 1664 is apocryphal. The first time the diamond was mentioned is about fifty years later when it was already in Vienna. It was in the possession of the Habsburg family and came to Munich when, in 1722, Maria Amalia
married Charles of Bavaria
, a member of the Wittelsbach family.
In 1745, the Wittelsbach Diamond was first mounted on the Bavarian Elector's Order of the Golden Fleece
. When Maximilian IV Joseph von Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806, he commissioned a royal crown, which prominently displayed the diamond. Until 1918, the jewel remained on the top of the Bavarian crown. It was seen last in public at Ludwig III of Bavaria
's funeral in 1921.
The Wittelsbach family tried to sell the diamond in 1931, during the Great Depression
, but found no buyers. They eventually sold it in 1951. In 1958, the stone was shown at the World Expo in Brussels. In the 1960s, the Goldmuntz family asked Joseph Komkommer, a jeweler, to re-cut the diamond, but he recognized the historical significance of the stone and refused. Instead he, along with dealers, bought it. The diamond had been in a private collection since 1964. Later it became known that it was bought by Helmut Horten
, who presented to his wife Heidi at their wedding.
On 10 December 2008, the 35.56 carats (7.1 g) Wittelsbach Diamond was sold to London-based jeweler Laurence Graff for £16.4 million Sterling, or US$23.4 million, at the time the highest price ever paid at auction for a diamond. The previous record had been held by a pear-shaped 100 carats (20 g) stone named the Star of the Season. This record was eclipsed on 16 November, 2010, when a 24.78 carat pink diamond was sold for £29 million Sterling, or US$46 million, again to Mr. Graff.
and enhance the color.
On 7 January 2010, it was reported that the diamond had been recut to enhance the stone's color and clarity, losing over 4.45 carats (890 mg) in the process. The resulting stone has been renamed the Wittlesbach-Graff. The move was met with heavy criticism by some experts: Gabriel Tolkowsky called it "the end of culture." Shortly after the auction of the diamond, American gem cutter and replicator of famous diamonds Scott Sucher stated "In the case of the Wittelsbach, what's at stake is at minimum over 350 years of history, as every nick, chip, and scratch has a story to tell. Just because we can’t decipher these stories doesn’t mean they don’t exist." The alteration of the historical stone has been compared by Professor Hans Ottomeyer, Director of the Deutsches Historisches Museum
of Berlin, to the overpainting of a painting by Rembrandt. It is opined that the recutting was done to increase its market value and, by extension, that of other "fancy diamonds". As a result of the recut, the gem had been reevaluated by the Gemological Institute of America
and its color grade revised from Fancy Deep Grayish Blue, the same grade given by GIA to The Hope, to the more desirable Fancy Deep Blue. The diamond’s clarity had also been revised upward, from Very Slightly Included (VS1) to Internally flawless (IF).
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
with internally flawless clarity
Diamond clarity
Diamond clarity is a quality of diamonds relating to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects called blemishes. Clarity is one of the four Cs of diamond grading, the others being carat, color, and cut...
. Laurence Graff purchased the Wittelsbach Diamond in 2008 for £16.4 million Sterling. In 2010, Graff revealed he had had the diamond cut by three diamond cutters to remove flaws. The diamond was now more than 4 carats (800 mg) lighter and was renamed the Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond. There is controversy, as critics claim the recutting has altered the diamond as to make it unrecognizable, that its historical integrity has been compromised.
Wittelsbach Diamond
The original Wittelsbach Diamond, also known as Der Blaue Wittelsbacher, was a 35.56 carats (7.1 g) Fancy Deep Grayish Blue diamond with VS2 clarityDiamond clarity
Diamond clarity is a quality of diamonds relating to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects called blemishes. Clarity is one of the four Cs of diamond grading, the others being carat, color, and cut...
that had been part of both the Austrian
Austrian Crown Jewels
The collective term Austrian Crown Jewels or insignia denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the Holy Roman emperor, and later the Austrian emperor, during the coronation ceremony and at various other state functions...
and the Bavarian
Bavarian Crown Jewels
In 1806, as part of his wholescale re-ordering of the map of Europe, Napoleon I of France upgraded the independent German duchy of Bavaria to full kingdom status...
Crown jewels
Crown jewels
Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...
.
Its color and clarity had been compared to the Hope Diamond
Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond, also known as "Le bleu de France" or "Le Bijou du Roi", is a large, , deep-blue diamond, now housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. It is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but exhibits red...
. The diamond had measured 24.4 millimetre (0.960629921259842 in) in diameter and 8.29 millimetre (0.326377952755905 in) in depth. It had 82 facets arranged in an atypical pattern. The star facets on the crown were vertically split and the pavilion had sixteen needle-like facets, arranged in pairs, pointing outward from the culet
Culet
In gemology, a culet is a flat face on the bottom of a gemstone.During the 14th century, after the adoption of the table cut, a further facet was added to the bottom of the cut parallel to the surface of the table. The term used for these bottom facets derives from the latin word for bottom,...
facet.
History
The diamond originates from the mines of the former Indian kingdom of GolkondaGolkonda
Golkonda or Golla konda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda , is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Hindu Kakatiya King...
. The story that King Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV was King of Spain between 1621 and 1665, sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands, and King of Portugal until 1640...
purchased the jewel and included it in the dowry of his teenage daughter, Margaret Teresa
Margaret Theresa of Spain
Margaret Theresa of Spain was Holy Roman Empress, German Queen, Archduchess consort of Austria, Queen consort of Hungary and Bohemia. She was the daughter of King Philip IV of Spain and his second wife Mariana of Austria...
, in 1664 is apocryphal. The first time the diamond was mentioned is about fifty years later when it was already in Vienna. It was in the possession of the Habsburg family and came to Munich when, in 1722, Maria Amalia
Maria Amalia of Austria
Maria Amalia of Austria was the younger daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I and Wilhelmine Amalia of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
married Charles of Bavaria
Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
, a member of the Wittelsbach family.
In 1745, the Wittelsbach Diamond was first mounted on the Bavarian Elector's Order of the Golden Fleece
Order of the Golden Fleece
The Order of the Golden Fleece is an order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip III, Duke of Burgundy in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Infanta Isabella of Portugal, daughter of King John I of Portugal. It evolved as one of the most prestigious orders in Europe...
. When Maximilian IV Joseph von Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806, he commissioned a royal crown, which prominently displayed the diamond. Until 1918, the jewel remained on the top of the Bavarian crown. It was seen last in public at Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III of Bavaria
Ludwig III , was the last King of Bavaria, reigning from 1913 to 1918.-Early life:...
's funeral in 1921.
The Wittelsbach family tried to sell the diamond in 1931, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, but found no buyers. They eventually sold it in 1951. In 1958, the stone was shown at the World Expo in Brussels. In the 1960s, the Goldmuntz family asked Joseph Komkommer, a jeweler, to re-cut the diamond, but he recognized the historical significance of the stone and refused. Instead he, along with dealers, bought it. The diamond had been in a private collection since 1964. Later it became known that it was bought by Helmut Horten
Helmut Horten
Helmut Horten was a German entrepreneur who built up and owned the fourth-largest chain of department stores in Germany - the Horten AG....
, who presented to his wife Heidi at their wedding.
On 10 December 2008, the 35.56 carats (7.1 g) Wittelsbach Diamond was sold to London-based jeweler Laurence Graff for £16.4 million Sterling, or US$23.4 million, at the time the highest price ever paid at auction for a diamond. The previous record had been held by a pear-shaped 100 carats (20 g) stone named the Star of the Season. This record was eclipsed on 16 November, 2010, when a 24.78 carat pink diamond was sold for £29 million Sterling, or US$46 million, again to Mr. Graff.
Alteration
Immediately following the sale, Graff announced his intention to recut the gem to remove damage to the girdleCulet
In gemology, a culet is a flat face on the bottom of a gemstone.During the 14th century, after the adoption of the table cut, a further facet was added to the bottom of the cut parallel to the surface of the table. The term used for these bottom facets derives from the latin word for bottom,...
and enhance the color.
On 7 January 2010, it was reported that the diamond had been recut to enhance the stone's color and clarity, losing over 4.45 carats (890 mg) in the process. The resulting stone has been renamed the Wittlesbach-Graff. The move was met with heavy criticism by some experts: Gabriel Tolkowsky called it "the end of culture." Shortly after the auction of the diamond, American gem cutter and replicator of famous diamonds Scott Sucher stated "In the case of the Wittelsbach, what's at stake is at minimum over 350 years of history, as every nick, chip, and scratch has a story to tell. Just because we can’t decipher these stories doesn’t mean they don’t exist." The alteration of the historical stone has been compared by Professor Hans Ottomeyer, Director of the Deutsches Historisches Museum
Deutsches Historisches Museum
The German Historical Museum , DHM for short, is a museum in Berlin devoted to German history and defines itself as a place of enlightenment and understanding of the shared history of Germans and Europeans....
of Berlin, to the overpainting of a painting by Rembrandt. It is opined that the recutting was done to increase its market value and, by extension, that of other "fancy diamonds". As a result of the recut, the gem had been reevaluated by the Gemological Institute of America
Gemological Institute of America
The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, is a nonprofit institute dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect all buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate...
and its color grade revised from Fancy Deep Grayish Blue, the same grade given by GIA to The Hope, to the more desirable Fancy Deep Blue. The diamond’s clarity had also been revised upward, from Very Slightly Included (VS1) to Internally flawless (IF).