Royal Blue Diamond Surfaces After 300 Years

Sotheby’s will offer the historic Farnese Blue diamond at its Geneva sale in May, the first time it has been on the market.

The pear-shaped, 6.16-carat, fancy dark grey-blue stone — originally given to Queen Elisabeth Farnese of Spain as a wedding gift following her marriage to King Philip V in 1714 — has spent 300 years in the private collection of Europe’s royal families. The diamond will go under the hammer at the Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction on May 15 with an estimated price of $3.7 million to $5.3 million. Originating in the Golconda mines of India, it has traveled from Spain to France, Italy and Austria over the last three centuries.

The family kept the diamond in a secret royal casket, and, other than family members and the royal jewelers, no one knew of its existence.

“With its incredible pedigree, the Farnese Blue ranks among the most important historic diamonds in the world,” said Philipp Herzog von Württemberg, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and managing director of Sotheby’s Germany.

Queen Elisabeth passed the Farnese Blue to her son Philip, duke of Parma, whose son Ferdinand inherited it and passed it to his son Louis I, king of Etruria. Louis’s grandson, Charles II, duke of Lucca, passed it to his grandson, Robert I, the last ruling duke of Parma, who took the stone from Italy to Austria. He then mounted the stone on a diadem that had belonged to his mother, Louise Marie Thérèse of Artois. Upon the death of Robert I, the stone passed to his son Elias of Bourbon, duke of Parma. His wife, Maria Anna von Habsburg — who died in 1940 — recorded the stone’s history.

The Farnese Blue will appear at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, London, New York, Singapore and Taipei, before coming to Geneva for display prior to the sale.

Royal Blue Diamond Surfaces After 300 Years

Sotheby’s will offer the historic Farnese Blue diamond at its Geneva sale in May, the first time it has been on the market.

The pear-shaped, 6.16-carat, fancy dark grey-blue stone — originally given to Queen Elisabeth Farnese of Spain as a wedding gift following her marriage to King Philip V in 1714 — has spent 300 years in the private collection of Europe’s royal families. The diamond will go under the hammer at the Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction on May 15 with an estimated price of $3.7 million to $5.3 million. Originating in the Golconda mines of India, it has traveled from Spain to France, Italy and Austria over the last three centuries.

The family kept the diamond in a secret royal casket, and, other than family members and the royal jewelers, no one knew of its existence.

“With its incredible pedigree, the Farnese Blue ranks among the most important historic diamonds in the world,” said Philipp Herzog von Württemberg, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe and managing director of Sotheby’s Germany.

Queen Elisabeth passed the Farnese Blue to her son Philip, duke of Parma, whose son Ferdinand inherited it and passed it to his son Louis I, king of Etruria. Louis’s grandson, Charles II, duke of Lucca, passed it to his grandson, Robert I, the last ruling duke of Parma, who took the stone from Italy to Austria. He then mounted the stone on a diadem that had belonged to his mother, Louise Marie Thérèse of Artois. Upon the death of Robert I, the stone passed to his son Elias of Bourbon, duke of Parma. His wife, Maria Anna von Habsburg — who died in 1940 — recorded the stone’s history.

The Farnese Blue will appear at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong, London, New York, Singapore and Taipei, before coming to Geneva for display prior to the sale.

Plane loses £263m cargo of gold and diamonds during take off

According to reports, the Nimbus Airline An 12 cargo plane’s hatch opened mid take off allowing the goods to fall out.

The incident occurred at Yakutsk airport in Eastern Siberia on Thursday, The Siberian Times reported.

Yakutsk is in Siberia’s diamond producing region.

Images appear to show the large bars scattered across the runway while another picture shows the large hole in the cargo section of the plane.

The Siberian Times reported that the plane dropped gold bars as far as 26 kilometres from the airport.

 A spokesman told TASS: “A total of 172 gold bars weighing 3.4 tonnes have been found so far.”

Police sealed off the runway and a vast search is underway for the missing items.

It’s thought that the cargo belonged to Chukota Mining and Geological Company. Canadian Kinross Gold have a 75 per cent share in the company.

An investigation is now underway as to how the hatch managed to open and whether any staff were involved in the incident.

Technical engineers at the airport have been detained.

Plane loses £263m cargo of gold and diamonds during take off

According to reports, the Nimbus Airline An 12 cargo plane’s hatch opened mid take off allowing the goods to fall out.

The incident occurred at Yakutsk airport in Eastern Siberia on Thursday, The Siberian Times reported.

Yakutsk is in Siberia’s diamond producing region.

Images appear to show the large bars scattered across the runway while another picture shows the large hole in the cargo section of the plane.

The Siberian Times reported that the plane dropped gold bars as far as 26 kilometres from the airport.

 A spokesman told TASS: “A total of 172 gold bars weighing 3.4 tonnes have been found so far.”

Police sealed off the runway and a vast search is underway for the missing items.

It’s thought that the cargo belonged to Chukota Mining and Geological Company. Canadian Kinross Gold have a 75 per cent share in the company.

An investigation is now underway as to how the hatch managed to open and whether any staff were involved in the incident.

Technical engineers at the airport have been detained.

“The Lesotho Legend” sells for $40 million

Gem Diamonds recovered the 910 carat rough diamond in January.
The world’s fifth biggest gem quality diamond ever found has sold for $40 million , the company that found the massive rough diamond reported.

Gem Diamonds mined the D colourType IIa rough diamond at its flagship Letšeng mine in Lesotho.
The Lesotho Legend was purchased by an anonymous buyer in Antwerp, the company said.

Prior to “The Lesotho Legend,” the largest rough diamond recovered at Letšeng was a 603 carat named Lesotho Promise.

Source: DCLA 

“The Lesotho Legend” sells for $40 million

Gem Diamonds recovered the 910 carat rough diamond in January.
The world’s fifth biggest gem quality diamond ever found has sold for $40 million , the company that found the massive rough diamond reported.

Gem Diamonds mined the D colourType IIa rough diamond at its flagship Letšeng mine in Lesotho.
The Lesotho Legend was purchased by an anonymous buyer in Antwerp, the company said.

Prior to “The Lesotho Legend,” the largest rough diamond recovered at Letšeng was a 603 carat named Lesotho Promise.

Source: DCLA 

Type of ice found trapped in a diamond new to science

Ice VII inclusions found within diamonds is evidence for aqueous fluid in deep in Earth’s mantle.

The inclusions a high pressure form of water called ice VII present in diamonds sourced from between 410 and 660 km depth, the part of the mantle known as the transition zone.
The transition zone is a region where the stable minerals have high water storage capacity.

The inclusions suggest that local aqueous pockets form at the transition zone boundary owing to the release of chemically bound water as rock cycles in and out of this region.

Ice VII is about one and a half times more dense than regular ice but unlike the other phases of ice  ice VII remains fairly stable even as the pressure increases.

Source: DCLA