The Black Orlov Diamond

I’d  never heard of the Black Orlov, not to be confused with the historically important “Orlov Diamond”, until it was sold at auction four or five years ago.  It was really the ‘legend’ associated with the diamond rather than the diamond itself that caught my attention.  Its “history”, as presented in the newsletter announcing the auction, had been provocative.  The diamond had been presented as  “The Infamous Black Orlov Diamond”, a cursed gem; and the story had begun by tracing the diamond’s origin to the eye of an idol in Pondicherry, India.  Stolen by a Russian adventurer in the early 1800s, the story went on, it had become the Black Orlov when it was acquired by Russian Prince Grigori Grigorievich Orlov, who had then presented it to the Tsarina, Catherine the Great.  Early 1800’s? Catherine the Great? Not likely, as she had died in 1796.  Perhaps the date was a misprint, so I dug a bit deeper. 

The British Natural History Museum had displayed the diamond and reported the “curse of the Black Orlov” in it’s September 21, 2005 news release.  It made the improbable connection to Catherine the Great as well; and it presented evidence of the alleged curse.  It rested on the claimed suicides of Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov, Princess Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky and J.W. Paris, each reputed to have been a former owner of the diamond.  A diamond that drove people to suicide?   The story strained my credulity, even the Hope diamond doesn’t have inexplicable tragedy associated with it.   In my skepticism I turned to the “Natural Color Diamond Encyclopedia” and found a story that was not associated with “selling” the diamond in any way.   

The entry on the Black Orlov described the diamond as a dark “gun-metal” in color and not absolutely opaque; then it went on to discuss the “legend of the Black Orlov”.   I was cheered to read, “Regrettably, most accounts of the early history of this diamond must be treated with the utmost skepticism.”   The author observed that there is no evidence of black diamonds having ever been found in India (in fact, natural black diamonds have only been found in Brazil and in the Central African Republic).   Had one been found, he or she continued, it is unlikely that it would have been used as the eye of an idol since Hindus see black as an inauspicious color.   Third, there never was a Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov; all princes Orlov descended from the brother of Catherine the Great’s lover, Count Grigori Grigorievitch Orlov.  Finally, the diamond’s cushion shape indicates that it was probably polished in the19th century. 

“Diamond Legend”, another internet resource, shed a little more light on the story.  It reported that one real, historical, princess might have been a cause of the “legend”.  While there is no evidence of a Princess Nadia Vyegin-Orlov, it commented, there had been a Princess Nadezhda Petrovna Orlov (probably nicknamed Nadia).   Her family had lived on Black Lake before the Revolutions of 1917 and bred horses known as “Black Orlovs”.   Thus, though there is no record of it, given the family’s ‘branded’ horses, a large black diamond might have been a natural purchase.   After the revolutions, probably using the family’s jewelry to finance her flight and resettlement,  Nadia had settled in France. Hardly a suicide, she had lived to the age of 90, dying in 1988; and with no ‘witnesses’ to dispute the story, I suspect the stories of the Orlov (which Grigori, Grigorievich Orlov had given to Catherine the Great) and the Black Orlov were deliberately conflated, the better to sell the black diamond.  

If you value expertise, come see us.   We know jewelry and we understand that your important gift may well be your way of saying, “I love you..”   No one will take your search for that perfect gift as seriously as we will.  So to know a bit about our offerings, check out our website: http://www.hurstsberwynjewelers.com/ , then come see us.   And if you have any jewelry topic you'd like me to respond to, just let me know.

The Slippery World of Gem Enhancement

This is a short tale about gems and people.  If you think about it for a moment, with very few exceptions, and then mostly as a fashion statement, the gems dear to the hearts of jewelry lovers have usually been subjected to appearance “enhancements”.  Most commonly, we cut them to enhance the effect of light shown upon them; but other enhancements are possible. 

Take, for example, the 1.03 carat round, brilliant cut diamond we took in trade a few years ago.   When the client asked if we’d be interested in taking it in trade we examined it closely - at least we thought we did.  We judged it to be quite rare in color and just about perfect to the naked eye with one major characteristic (you would call it a “flaw”) that was very easy to see under 10X magnification.  As this characteristic did not affect the diamond’s appearance when it was viewed without magnification, we judged it to be an “SI2”; but its cut was inferior to our standards for diamonds.  It was only 6.1mm in diameter as compared to the 6.45mm to 6.5mm diameter of a well cut carat; this meant that though it weighed a little over a carat, it did not look its weight.  It had the physical appearance of a somewhat lackluster diamond weighing about 0.85 carat - a diamond we would not offer to our clients.  So we told the client, quite baldly, that were we to take it in trade we’d have to have his diamond re-cut; and since, after re-cutting, it  would weigh no more than 0.85 carats we could only offer him the value of the re-cut gem in trade.   Looking at the obvious difference between his diamond and one of our hand selected gems, he found our offer reasonable.  The sale was made, and we shipped the diamond off to be re-cut to “Ideal” proportions.  Five weeks later it was back, now a 0.83 carat beauty; but a little surprise accompanied it.  

The cutter included his notion of the diamond’s rarity in the papers he returned with the diamond; and though they coincided with ours, we were surprised with his observation that the diamond had been “clarity enhanced” through laser drilling - presumably to remove a dark inclusion.  The drill hole had to be that “characteristic” we’d observed when we took it in trade, but as we never buy clarity enhanced diamonds, it hadn’t occurred to us to check that “characteristic” very closely.   We put it under the microscope, and sure enough, the straight lines characteristic of laser drilling (but uncharacteristic of a natural “characteristic”) were there.  Ulp!  

As a matter of policy, we would have to disclose this enhancement to any prospective buyer; and ethically, we had to make sure that it really was an “SI2” in clarity, regardless of the enhancement.  So we packed it up and sent it off to the Gemological Institute of America’s gem laboratory for analysis and waited.  Four weeks later it was returned and we breathed a sigh of relief.  The lab confirmed that it had been laser drilled, but it also confirmed that it was an “SI2”.   We presumed our client to have been innocent of the enhancement as he would have known of it only if the firm or individual who had sold it to him had disclosed it - which brings us to my point.  Diamonds and other gems may have their appearance enhanced through means beyond cutting -  such as surface treatments (sort of like “painting”) and fracture filling (to hide cracks).   

All gem enhancements are undertaken to improve appearances; indeed some of the best known gems, sapphires, rubies and emeralds, are almost always clarity or color enhanced; but the enhancements are not all the same.   The best color enhancements of sapphires and rubies, for instance, are quite permanent while lesser enhancements of color amount to little more than a ‘paint job’.   Emeralds, are rarely color enhanced but are most usually clarity enhanced; and the durability of emerald clarity enhancements vary widely.  Given the often subtle nature of clarity and color enhancements, then, it is prudent for the consumer to presume that he is an innocent when it comes to gem buying, certainly, we do.  As a matter of course, therefore, we reveal any and all gem enhancements.  This has led more than one buyer to re-evaluate his desire for a particular gem; but since we understand that the purchase of a gem is usually fraught with emotional content, we feel the risk of loosing a sale for the sake of maintaining our client’s trust is well worth it.

Like most gifts, a gift of jewelry has emotional content; but unlike most of the socks, games and technology we buy, its value to the person who receives it often grows over time.   So it behooves you to shop carefully.  Our word is our bond and our prices for incomparable quality are very fair.  Take a look at us on line, hurstsberwynjewelers.com, then phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment to select a gift that will last a lifetime.  We’re Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers; and our greatest pleasure is helping you fulfill your dreams.

Beau Sancy

The Historic Beau Sancy Diamond

A double rose cut.

The Beau Sancy Diamond

A 35 carat gem, ‘the Beau Sancy’ is thought to have been found in India and entered Europe’s history in 1570 when it was offered for sale in Constantinople (modern Istanbul).  Speculatively,  Nicolas de Harlay, Sieur (or “Lord”) of Sancy snapped it up and went on to offer it and a larger diamond for sale to Europe’s royalty, the larger becoming known as ‘the Sancy‘ and the smaller one ‘the Beau Sancy.’  Perhaps ironically, though he was a wealthy man of affairs in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, it is through the diamonds that he sold we best know of him.

In 1604 Sancy sold the larger of the two diamonds to James I of England and the smaller to Marie de Médicis.  In 1610 Marie had the diamond set into the crown she would wear at her coronation - high fashion for royalty then and now; but not necessarily good luck.  Marie was crowned ‘Queen Consort’ on May 13 and the following day her king, Henry IV of France, was stabbed to death by Francois Ravaillac, a religious fanatic who’s emotional instability had caused him to be rejected by two religious orders he’d attempted to join.  After that everything was downhill for Marie.  Though she was immediately recognized as regent for her eight year old son (Louis XIII), she soon fell into ‘bad habits’ that led to a coup d’état against her seven years later.  She fled the country but continued to intrigue, without success, for a return to power.  She did, however, live like a queen - far beyond her means.   Upon her death in 1642, and to settle her debts, the Beau Sancy was sold to Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (he was, effectively, the king of the Netherlands).  The diamond then passed through his heirs to William of Orange who gave it to Mary Stuart as a wedding present.  In 1689 the couple became co-monarchs of England; but the Beau Sancy became only a  passing part of the royal jewels of England.  

When William and Mary died without issue, the diamond was inherited by a royal second cousin, Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg.  In the course of European politics, Frederick became King Frederick I of Prussia; and the Beau Sancy was set in his royal crown.  Over the next 200 years it remained part of the Prussian crown jewels and was ‘restyled’ again and again so that in 1913 it was the center piece of a necklace of diamonds.  Then World War I spelled the end for the House of Hohenzollern.   With revolution in Germany, Wilhelm II (King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany) fled to exile in the Netherlands - leaving the Beau Sancy behind.  When the smoke cleared, the bulk of the gems in the Hohenzollern family’s crown jewels were deposited in museums appropriate to their origins; and the Beau Sancy remained in the old Prussian capital, Berlin.  That unfortunate city was virtually destroyed in the last days of World War II; but the Beau Sancy was spared.  Some unknown person hid the diamond in a bricked up crypt where, at war’s end, it was discovered by British troops.  After, I’m sure, some soul searching, it was returned to the ‘estate of the House of Prussia’ - the Hohenzollerns - and virtually disappeared from view until now.

Early this month Sotheby’s (auctions) announced that on May 15 it would sell ‘The Beau Sancy’ for Georg Friedrich Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia, head of the Imperial House of Hohenzollern and great-great-grandson of Wilhelm II, the last Kaiser of Germany.    David Bennet, head honcho of Sotheby’s jewelry division for the Middle East and Europe said, remarking on the gem’s romantic history, “It’s a stone that appeals to me greatly as a survivor of all those tumultuous events”.  Of course the real question for Sotheby’s and the prince is that of what price that appeal may command.  At present, there are no known offers for the diamond, but Philipp Herzog von Württemberg, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, would like the French Government to buy it (at $4 million, or thereabouts) so that it might be put on display next to the Sancy in the Louvre.  Given that government’s current tight finances, that seems unlikely - unless a French ‘white knight’ (only the fabulously wealthy need apply for this job) comes to its rescue and buys the Beau Sancy to donate to the Louvre.

There is no luxury purchase that retains its value as well as an important diamond; so what better way is there to express your love for someone than with the gift of a fine diamond?  A carat diamond is, quite literally, a one in a million find; and you have to sort through five million gem quality diamonds to find one large enough to cut into a two carat gem.  Only an important diamond approaches the rarity of that special person in your life; so if the time to definitively express your love is now, come see us.  We won’t sell you a mediocre diamond; and we’re extremely competitive in our diamond pricing.  We’re Hursts’ Berwyn Jewelers and after you check us out on line at hurstsberwynjewelers.com, phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment.  We’ll help you select the perfect gift, custom made for that most important person in your life.

BESPOKE JEWELRY

On our recent visit to London’s Victoria and Albert museum we saw quite a few pieces of ‘grand’ jewelry set with gems that had been reused to create them.  Because each of them had been ‘custom made’ they could be termed ‘bespoke’ in manufacture.  It’s a common term in the United Kingdom; but you seldom run into it in the United States, even though it could often be applied in the jewelry business - particularly when it comes to making a piece of jewelry using larger gems or re-purposing gems and precious metal.  The majority of the engagement rings we sell, for example, are ‘one-off’ bespoken pieces; allow me to illustrate this.

Last November a young man came into our store on a mission to buy an engagement ring.  We had her finger size; and he had some fairly definite ideas about style - and a budget as well.  As I interviewed him, it became clear that, provided we listened to him carefully, the sale would not be difficult.  My first task was to find a fancy cut diamond that would meet his criteria for color and clarity while meeting his budget constraints and my demands for beauty (I’m not going to sell a diamond I think to be mediocre in appearance).   This took a bit of research; but given our connections to top diamond cutters, I was fairly quickly able to present him with a selection of gems I’d be proud to sell.  He selected one and then it was time to design a ring.   At this point there are always a few questions that should be answered for a successful design.  Since an engagement ring is ‘communication’, I had to know what he wanted to say in giving it and what she would want it to say as she wore it.  From my standpoint, both of these questions had to be answered in such a fashion that the durability of the ring would not be compromised.

He wanted the diamond to stand out so that there would be no question about the purpose of the ring.  For him this meant that the ring’s design had to be fairly simple.  Having met her, however, I knew that she would love something decidedly feminine.  Finally, she’s an active young woman; so the ring I would make had to be fairly rugged.  We solved the first problem by designing a ring with a very simple ‘head’ (the piece that holds the diamond) and a ‘thin’ shank (the ring part of the ring).  Then we solved the second part of our problem by incorporating into our design a few ‘surprise’ diamonds (diamonds that she could enjoy but would not be immediately obvious to a casual observer).  Finally, we met my concerns for durability in two ways.  We made the shank, though thin when viewed from above, thick through so that it would not easily bend; and we braced the prongs that would hold the big diamond.  The braces would not be visible when viewed from above; but they would effectively keep the prongs short and difficult to bend.  The young man liked and approved our design, so we made it and he had it for a Christmas engagement.  Then I waited.  I called him after he had presented it to check on our success and he said, “She loves it!  I couldn’t have done it without you.”  I love to hear that.

Of course we also specialize in repurposing diamonds; and here an interesting story from last year comes to mind.  One of our long time clients walked in the door and announced that he wanted to ‘trade-up’ on the diamond in his wife’s engagement ring.  My response?  “Check with her first.  She may be emotionally attached to her original diamond.”  He came back a week later and said, “You were right.  She wants to keep her original diamond.  What do we do now?”  I said, “Let’s make a jacket for it that will say what you want it to say and will ‘beautify’ her original ring.”  I interviewed her, and once I had learned what sorts of things she valued as beautiful, I came up with a design proposal.  She approved it  and he trusted me to make a ring he would see as a show piece.  Six weeks later I delivered it.  He loved it; but she was somewhat taken aback by its ‘showiness’.  Confident in it, I said, “Wear it; and if you don’t like it a year from now, come in and I’ll make a new jacket for you at no additional charge.  That sounded fair to her; so she wore it out.  Two weeks later she was back to tell me she loved it; and today I learned that she wears it everywhere.  So if you want to see a picture of it, drop in the store and ask to see it - along with her thank you.

Bespoke jewelry - custom made jewelry - is really our metier.  So if you’ve ‘dreamed’ of a piece of jewelry you’ve never quite found, come in and see us.  We can make it from scratch using your diamonds or supplying new diamonds; and we’ll even help you trade up for a bigger diamond if you have that in mind.   Check out our website, hurstsberwynjewelers.com, for an idea or two; then phone us at 708.788.0880 for an appointment to begin that piece of custom jewelry.