Golconda Diamonds: Regent Diamond

Present image of the 'Regent Diamond' in Louvre Museum, Paris

Regent diamond, a white pale blue diamond, weighing 410 carats uncut, mined between 1698 and 1701 in Kollur Mine or 'Gani Coulour' - was a series of gravel-clay pits on the south bank of the River Krishna in the Golconda now known Andhra Pradesh, India.

After its cut of the 'white pale blue diamond' now its a 140.64-carat in cushion-shaped, internally flawless (IF) stone, with a D-color grade meaning its chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond stone, containing a slight bluish tinge caused by Nitrogen or Boron element, a unique characteristic of diamond originating from the Golconda mines.

Blue-violet fluorescence

The bluish tinge can caused a blue-violet fluorescence and more prominent if observed under bright daylight. The cut of the diamond is a stellar brilliant-cut with eight needle-like facets on the pavilion of the stone, pointing outwards from the culet facet.

Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad,
1018 - 1092

The legend has it that an Indian slave stolen this 'white pale blue diamond' from the alluvial diamond in Parteal mines by hiding it inside his self-inflicted wound. After the slave reaching the banks of the Krishna river, sometime between 1698 and 1701, where he met an English ship captain and offered him fifty percent of the sale of the stone in exchange for safe passage out of India.

At the time this 'white pale blue diamond' was discovered in Golconda between 1698 and 1701, it was under the rule of the Mughal Emperors. Around 1724, when the Mughals lost control of Golconda, when one of their viceroys Asaf Jah also known as Nizam-ul-Mulk declared independence, and founded the royal and wealthy dynasty of the Nizams of Hyderabad.

Emperor Aurangzeb, 1618 - 1707

The territory of Golconda lay between the lower reaches of the Godavari and Krishna rivers, and extended to the Bay of Bengal coast. Golconda city was situated five miles west of Hyderabad, in the north-central Andhra Pradesh State of Southern India. It was the capital of the Qutub Shahi Kingdom from 1512 to 1687. Golconda was annexed to the Mughal Empire in 1687 by Emperor Aurangzeb, and remained under Mughal rule until 1724.

Present remains of the Golconda fort now considered tourist spot

Now the slave boarded the ship, when it was leaving the port, on it's way to Bombay. But, during this voyage, the captain was tempted to acquire the stone for himself, and decided to eliminate the slave by murdering him and throwing the body overboard. When the ship reached Bombay, the captain went ashore with the diamond, and found an Indian diamond merchant by the name of 'Jamchand', to whom he sold the 'white pale blue diamond' for a sum of about £1,000. 

Subsequently, the Captain had squandered the money possibly on alcohol and other vices, and in a fit of remorse for the crime committed by him, and while in a state of severe depression he committed suicide, by hanging himself.

Thomas Pitt, 1698 - 1709

Merchant 'Jamchand' sold the diamond in 1702, for about £20,000 to the British Governor of Madras, Thomas Pitt, who was the grandfather of William Pitt, the Elder, the great 18th century British Statesman. Thomas Pitt was an ambitious British merchant, whose involvement in business activities in Balasore, India, in 1674, brought him into conflict with the British East India Company, who got him arrested and fined in 1683, for engaging in trade without the permission of the company.

Again in 1693, Thomas Pitt embarked on another trading venture in southern India, and the British East India Company, unable to check his activities, took him into service in 1694. In 1697, the company appointed him president of Fort St. George, Madras, in which post he served for 12 years, until he was dismissed in 1709.

Thomas Pitt got the diamond cut in London, by

Peter the Great, 1721 - 1725

the diamond cutter Harris, between 1704 and 1706. The cutting took two years and cost about £5,000. Several smaller stones that were also cut from the original rough, were sold for about £7,000 and were purchased by Emperor Peter the Great of Russia. 

The larger stone, a cushion-shaped brilliant-cut diamond weighing 140.64 carats, turned out to be one of the finest and most brilliant of the known large diamonds during this time, in spite of a small imperfection. This 'white pale blue diamond' is the 7th largest D-color diamond, and the 2nd largest cushion-cut D-color diamond in the world.

Louis XIV, 1643 - 1715

1709 in England, after his return Thomas Pitt, started looking for prospective buyers for his exceptional 'white pale blue diamond', which included the royalty of several European countries, one of whom was Louis XIV of France. 

Even though Thomas Pitt was not able to sell his diamond to Louis the XIV, after his death in 1715, when Philippe II Duke of Orléans (August 2, 1674 – December 2, 1723), was a member of the royal family of France and served as Regent of the Kingdom from 1715 to 1723, was appointed Regent, to the successor of Louis XIV, the five year old King Louis XV.

Duke Philippe II, 1674 - 1723

Thomas Pitt succeeded in negotiating a deal for the diamond with the Regent, in 1717. It was sold to the Duke for £135,000 - thereafter the diamond came to be known as the 'Regent Diamond'.

Louis XV, 1710 - 1774

The 'Regent Diamond' was later set in a royal crown for the coronation of Louis XV in 1723, and again in a separate crown for the coronation of Louis XVI in 1775. It was also used as an adornment on the hat of Marie Antoinette, the Queen consort of Louis XVI. In 1791, it's appraised value was £480,000.

Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette,
guillotined on Jan. 21, 1973

The Regent was worn for the first time by Louis XV at the reception of a Turkish embassy in 1721. It was mounted temporarily on the king's crown for his coronation ceremony on 25 October 1722. Shortly after his marriage to Maria Leczinska on 5 September 1725, Louis XV began wearing the diamond on his hat, a habit he continued throughout his reign.

For the coronation of Louis XVI, on 11 June 1775, a new crown was made similar to that of Louis XV, featuring The Regent on the front. Like his grandfather, Louis XVI sported the gem on his hat. 

The French Revolution erupted in 1787 and lasted until 1799. During this tumultuous period, in 1792, the 'Garde Meuble' - Royal Treasury - that housed the famous collection of the French Crown Jewels, was robbed and most of the famous and valuable diamonds such as the 'Regent Diamond', the 'Sancy Diamond', the 'Hope Diamond', and amonth other jewels disappeared. Some of the gems were later recovered, but the whereabouts of the 'Regent Diamond' remained a mystery, until finally it was traced to a Paris garret, where it was hidden in a hole under the roof timberwork.

Napoleon Bonaparte,

1769 - 1821

In 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte redeemed the 'white-blue pale diamond', and was the first consul used it to embellish in his sword, designed by the goldsmiths Odiot, Boutet and Nitot. In 1812 it appeared on the Emperor's two-edged sword, the work of Nitot. Following changes in the ruling regime, the diamond was mounted successively on the crowns of Louis XVIII, Charles X and Napoleon III, and finally on the Grecian diadem of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.

Empress Eugénie wife of Napoleon III, 1872, last known person used to wear the 'Regent Diamond'

At present date the 'Regent Diamond' is now property of French Louvre Museum since 1887 considered as the most valuable diamond stone that the museum ever had. The 'Regent Diamond' estimated price in U.S. dollar is 73,920,000 on U.S. dollar value at $1.54 per £1 from year 2015.

Famous Regent Diamond

Note: Most of the photos here are taken from Pinterest, this post is not intended for copyright infringement nor plagiarism.

Note: I have tried my best to attribute images to their creators and original sources. Please contact at qolfera@gmail.com, if you know the source of images that are not attributed. Read Qolfera's disclosure policy.