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31 EUREKA Weight of the original diamond 10.73 cts. It is said that this rough diamond of 21.25 cts. signaled the beginning of diamond discoveries in South Africa. A Boer boy picked it up by mere chance on the Orange River banks and this was the start of diamond prospecting in South Africa In 1959 it was exhibited at the Ageless Diamond Exhibition in London. 32 EXCELSIOR I Weight of the original diamond 69.80 cts. before the discovery of the Cullinan, in 1905, the biggest rough diamond ever found was the Excelsior I of 995.20 cts. Of South African origin it has all the typical characteristics of the diamonds from the jagersfontein Mine: extremely white under artificial light and with a white-blue shadow in the sunlight owing to its strong fluorescence visible under ultra-violet light. From the rough stone, six pear-shaped gems have been cut, of which the Excelsior I is the largest. 33 EXCELSIOR IV Weight of the original diamond 34.97 cts. The Excelsior IV is the fourth largest stone of the fore-mentioned pear-shaped gems. The smallest is 16.81 cts. 4 navettes ranging from 40.26 cts. to 24.38 cts., and 11 brilliants totaling 20-33 cts. have also been cut from the original rough diamond. 34 FLORENTINE Weight of the original diamond of 137.27 cts. An exceptional golden-yellow gem noted also for its unique nut shape. A nine sided polygon, double rose-cut with 126 facets, it is the most famous Italian gem. It belonged to the treasure of the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1657. With the marriage of the Empress Mary Theresa and Francis Stephen of Lorena, it passed into the Hapsburg's treasure. The diamond disappeared with the fall of the Austrian Empire. 35 GOLDEN MADRAS Weight of the original diamond 172.00 cts. 1n the information concerning the "Pigott", another stone owned by the Governor of Madras of that period is described. A diamond with a yellow-brown color, good light, shaped like a big pear, with many, many facets, weighing more than 170.00 cts. 36 GOLDEN PELIKAN Weight of the original diamond 64.00 cts. This emerald-cut, golden-yellow diamond was cut in Antwerp, at the famous diamond center of Pelikaaristraat, from which it took its name; it was exhibited in Canada and in Switzerland and in 1958 in the Diamond Pavilion of the Brussels World Fair. 37 GREAT CHRYSANTHEMUM Weight of the original diamond 104.15 cts. Recently (1963) extracted from a South African mine it was a beautiful rough diamond of 198.28 cts. It originally appeared to be honey-colored but after cutting, the gem reflected a beautiful golden-brown color, typical of brown chrysanthemum. Its pear-shape and particular cut, 189 facets, render it even more livelier and accentuate the interplay of color. 38 GREAT MOGUL Weight of the original diamond 280.00 cts. 1t has been said that the original rough diamond weighed 785.50 cts. and belonged to the famous Shah jehan, who was also the owner of the well-known Koh-I-Noor. This is not surprising as the Shah jehan ruled the northern lands of Golconda during the period in which many diamonds were first extracted. 39 HARLEQUIN Weight of the original diamond 22.00 cts. This impressive pear-shaped diamond is not well proportioned. it belonged to the Wittenberg Crown Treasure and, mounted on a big collier composed of 97 diamonds, it is still exhibited at the Wurttemberg Museum in Stuttgart. 40 HOPE Weight of the original diamond 44.50 cts. Well known among the famous diamonds more for its history and legends than for its size. It is certain that the Hope and the Brunswick Blue were cut from the same stone: the French Diamond. The Hope takes its name from the London buyer, Henry Philip Hope. In 1830 and again in 1851, it was exhibited at the Crystal Palace Exhibition. In 1962 it was among the diamonds exhibited at the Louvre for the show "Ten Centuries of French jewelry" and it is presently at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. | ||||||||||||
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