Devastated Krupp Works in Essen, taken before the city was occupied by the US Army in 1945. Photo credit.
While the mine which produced the Krupp Diamond appears to be undocumented, the stone is closely associated with the famed Krupp mines of Germany's steel age {6}. From these mines, the family Krupp pulled raw iron, coal, manganese, and more before transforming it into steel.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, this steel was molded and shaped into formidable armaments, including Big Bertha (used during WWI), as well as the Paris Gun and Fat Gustav (colossal cannons used during WWII). During World War II, Krupp was well represented at the front lines of every German battle, showing their loyalty to the Fuehrer of the Holocaust.
Slave Labor Camps
In addition, Krupp industries openly participated in labor camp operations. In an attempt to recover from the loss of German life exacted during the war, Nazi leaders initiated a new order for extermination by labor. German industrialists were encouraged to set up armament factories within or near concentration camps. While the Jews and prisoners of war housed in these facilities were spared the gas chambers, they were perhaps the more unfortunate victims of the Holocaust. These camps were essentially the same as the extermination camps. They featured close quarters, barbed wire, abuse and threats, starvation, inadequate medical attention, and armed guards whose job it was to ensure the work was done {7}. Elizabeth Borgwardt, in an essay titled "Commerce and Complicity: Human Rights and the Legacy of Nuremberg," writes of the cold hard truth of Krupp's complicity in this new policy throughout 1942. She writes of the 70,000 (perhaps as many as 100,000) laborers used solely by Krupp, reporting that a fair number of them were children {4, p. 95}. According to her research, the Krupp family insisted on using this labor force to build their factories and war machines, and that at no time did the family or its senior employees express remorse for their actions during the war {4}.Alfried Krupp
In 1948, Alfried Krupp, as acting owner of his family's company Fried. Krupp, was tried and convicted on charges of exploitation of occupied countries, for committing crimes against peace, and for participating in crimes against humanity to include "use for slave labor of civilians who came under German control, German nationals, and prisoners of war" {6}. The judge sentenced Alfried to 12 years in prison and ordered the confiscation of all of his assets, holdings, and properties. However, in 1951, in accordance with the orders of John J. McCloy, American High Commissioner for American-occupied Germany, Alfried was released. What remained of his vast holdings and fortune was returned to him. He went immediately to work restoring the Krupp name and industry. While Russia demonstrated their full support of Alfried's rearmament strategies, Britain and France fought to prevent Krupp from reacquiring the coal and iron mines and steel mills that had been sold off prior to his release {1}.Alfried Marries Vera
In a rare moment of what some consider self-indulgence, while attempting to please the Russians and put the rest of Europe at ease, Alfried ventured to Hamburg. It was here that he met the petite, blonde divorcee Vera Hossenfeldt. Within a year, the two were married, and Vera attempted to make Essen, Germany, her home. Peter Batty describes Vera as a dedicated hostess, and the writer for the World War II Database calls her Krupp's chief publicist. A former actress and shop girl, she must have been thrilled to be wearing diamonds and gowns, courting the heads of state from around the world. The publicity events held at the House of Krupp were the talk of the town for several years {1}. At some point during this time, Vera Krupp began wearing a 33.19-carat Asscher-cut diamond. The Krupp Diamond was mounted in a platinum Harry Winston band with two baguette diamonds set horizontally on the shoulders. Reports are vague about when and why the stone was purchased. Some report that this diamond ring was her wedding gift from Alfried {2}, while others imply Vera's purchased it after she moved to Nevada in 1955 {3}. That it was a wedding gift is possible, though it is far more likely that Vera acquired the diamond from Harry Winston in the States. It is widely believed that the stone was purchased while Vera was married to Alfried, which would place it in her possession before 1956.References
- Batty, Peter. The House of Krupp. New York: Stein and Day, 1966.
- "Krupp - Steel and Diamonds," World's Luxury Guide, April 25, 2012.
- Oberding, Janice. The Haunting of Las Vegas. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 2008.
- Schulman, Bruce J. Making the American Century: Essays on the Political Culture of Twentieth Century America. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
- Simkin, John. "Alfried Krupp." Spartacus Educational. Accessed January 10, 2015.
- Watson, Peter. The German Genius: Europe's Third Renaissance, the Second Scientific Revolution and the Twentieth Century. London: Simon & Schuster, 2010.
- World War II Database. "Alfried Krupp." Accessed January 10, 2015.
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