Gems of all Time

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception 


 

The Hortensia Diamond

Named after the Queen of Holland - Napoleon's step-daughter - the rock glittered on Napoleon's epaulette braid fastening and later on Empress Eugenie's diamond-encrusted comb. After the French Revolution, the diamond was snatched from the Garde Meuble and later found in a bag of treasures that included additional French Crown Jewels, in the attic of an old house in Paris. According to lore, the man who stole the precious gems disclosed the secret location just before his execution. Today, it is held in the Louvre's Gallerie d'Apollon.

 

Koh-i-Noor Diamond

The 105-carat jewel is housed in the Tower of London, glimmering atop the Queen Mother's 1937 coronation crown. It has a rich history of getting plundered - owned by a succession of sultans, warlords, and rulers, the rock landed in the English Crown Jewels collection after the British conquered Punjab. Ever since Queen Victoria held this diamond in her hands and had it recut to her pleasing, only female members of the British royal family have worn it. Supposedly, it brings "great misfortune" to men who do.

The Taylor-Burton Diamond

This diamond was a husband's act of penance to his wife rather than an ode to love. After Richard Burton called Elizabeth Taylor's hands "ugly," "manly," "large," and "masculine" during a dinnertime spat, the actress turned the situation to her benefit. She insisted that he purchase what was then considered "the largest and most expensive diamond in the world" so that her hands would appear smaller and less hideous. He followed through, bought the 69.42-carat diamond, and simply told reporters it was a gift for his wife.

The Hope Diamond

The Hope is a diamond believed to be cursed despite its positive moniker. Exhibit A: Evalyn Walsh McLean, a former owner, referred to the rock as her "lucky charm." Soon after acquiring it, McLean's son died in a car accident, her husband divorced her and died insane, and her daughter committed suicide. She herself became a moprhine addict. In 1958  or 1959 the 45.52-carat rock was donated to the Smithsonian. It was sent by regular mail.

La Peregrina Pearl

After passing from the hands of Spanish, French, and English kings and queens (Bloody Mary included), the pearl eventually wound up perched prominently on the bosom of an American royal, Elizabeth Taylor, in 1969. Richard Burton purchased the pearl for her, even outbidding a prince. Taylor then misplaced La Peregrina in a Las Vegas hotel, only to find it in her dog's mouth.

The Star of India

The world's largest sapphire, allegedly around 2 billion years old, weighs 563-carats and is roughly the size of a golf ball. On Halloween eve in 1964, it was stolen in a heist at the Museum of Natural History, only to be found a few days later in a Miami bus terminal locker. Today, it is safe in the American Museum of Natural History.

Grace Kelly's Engagement Ring

Prince Rainier III of Monaco refined his first engagement ring to Grace Kelly with a 10.5-carat emerald-cut diamond ring from Cartier with two baguettes. He had originally proposed to her with a Cartier eternity band, but when he saw other ladies of Hollywood had bigger rocks, he ordered a new ring, also from Cartier.

 

The Duchess of Windsor's Panther Bracelet

The onyx-and-diamond panther bracelet designed by Cartier formerly belonged to the Duchess of Windsor, also known as the American socialite Wallis Simpson. King Edward VIII left the British throne to wed the two-time divorcée and commissioned the item specifically to impress his new lady.

 

The Dresden Green

Weighing 41 carats, the Dresden Green is the largest "naturally green" diamond to date. During World War II, it was locked away in Germany's Green Vaults for protection — only to be stolen by a stealthy Russian organization, the "Soviet Trophies Commission." The gem and other stolen jewels were later returned to Dresden and today resides once more in the Green Vaults.

 

Queen Mary's Diamond Riviere

Queen Mary gifted the necklace of 34 old-cut diamonds mounted in silver and gold to her granddaughter, Princess Margaret. The necklace, estimated to have existed since 1900, was last sold at a Christie's auction in 2006 to an unnamed buyer

 

Princess Soraya's Engagement Ring

The 22-carat diamond engagement ring belonged to Iranian Princess Soraya, received from the Shah of Iran in 1950. After the princess passed away in 2002, all of her belongings were auctioned in Paris.

 

The Tiffany Diamond

In 1877, Tiffany & Co.'s iconic 128-carat yellow diamond was found in South Africa. It adorned Audrey Hepburn's neck during publicity photos for Breakfast at Tiffany's and today is on permanent display in the New York Fifth Avenue store.

 

The Logan Sapphire

Originally from Sri Lanka, this 423-carat violet blue sapphire is roughly the size of an egg. It belonged to a Washington, D.C., socialite, Mrs. Polly Logan, who donated the stone to the Smithsonian’s collection in 1960.

Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck's Emerald and Diamond Tiara

The tiara is composed of eleven rare Colombian emerald pear-shaped drops, rumored to have belonged to Empress Eugenie. The tiara was commissioned around 1900 by a German prince for wife, Katharina, and was last sold at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva for $12.7 million.

 

The Pearl of Allah

A fourteen-pound pearl, thought to be the world’s largest, was first found in the Palawan Sea. According to history, it came from an enormous Tridacna clam that once clamped down a diver's arm and killed him. Because it's a clam pearl, it lacks iridescent sheen. Still, it was the subject of an ownership lawsuit that spanned three decades.
 

The Krupp Diamond

The Burton-Taylor diamond saga continues. Burton gifted the 33-carat diamond ring to Taylor in 1968. Allegedly, Princess Maragaret once called the ring "vulgar" at a wedding they both attended. That is, untill Taylor offered to let the Princess try on the ring herself.

 

Camilla Parker Bowles's Engagement Ring

Prince Charles gave her a Royal Family heirloom as an engagement ring - the diamond-and-platinum piece with three diamond baguettes on each side originally belonged to the Queen Mother.

 

Cartier Halo Tiara

This tiara worn by Kate Middleton on the day of her Royal Wedding, was lent by the Queen. Made in 1936, the tiara originally belonged to the Queen Mother, who passed it to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.

 

Queen Marie of Romania’s Sapphire

This 478-carat sapphire was purchased by King Ferdinand of Romania for Queen Marie in 1921. It was the largest sapphire ever offered at a Christie's auction and sold for nearly $1.5 million in 2003.

 

Le Beau Sancy Diamond

Prior to spending 400 years in the collections of Europe's royal families, this 35-carat rock was allegedly reclaimed from a dead man's stomach. According to legend, in the 1500s, a messenger swallowed it while under attack by thieves. The rock went on to shimmer in royal family collections of France, England, Prussia, and the Netherlands'.
 

The Regent Diamond

According to lore, the 141-carat diamond was originally discovered by a slave in India who hid the stone in a leg wound. After deaths and multiple trades, the rock went on to embellish the royal crowns of Louis XV, XVI, and XVIII and Napoleon Bonaparte's sword. Today, it exists in the Louvre mounted on a Greek diadem that was designed for Empress Eugenie.

 

The Fabergé Egg

Now closely associated with the Russian Imperial family, the first-ever "Imperial Easter egg" was dreamt into being by Tsar Alexander III to surprise his wife, Empress Marie Fedorovna. Following the first bedazzled egg, the Tsar made it a tradition to present an egg each year to his wife. Fifty eggs were made for the imperial family between 1885 to 1916.
 

The Tutti Frutti Necklace by Cartier

One of Cartier’s most famous pieces, the “Hindu necklace” was commissioned by Vogue-honored socialite and Singer sewing machine heiress Daisy Fellowes in 1936. Made of dozens of rubies, emeralds, and diamond beads set in platinum and thirteen sapphires, this was the necklace that helped kick off Cartier's "Art Deco" craze.

 

The Heart of the Ocean   

The fictional diamond and sapphire necklace crafted from James Cameron's imagination, made Titanic history. While the Heart of the Ocean never existed, it was allegedly crafted after a necklace that may not have been made from real sapphire but was on the real ship and is now called the Love of the Sea.

 

The Star of Asia Sapphire

Said to have belonged to India’s Maharajah of Jodhpur, the six-ray sapphire from Burma weighs 329 carats. Along with many other jewels, it is currently part of the Smithsonian Museum’s permanent collection.

 

The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch

The Emerald and Diamond Pendant Brooch is made from a piece of Mughal emerald that hails from the mid-seventeenth century. The Indian stone weighs 55.8 carats and is carved with tulips, and was sold at a Christie's auction to in 2003.