Christie's Diamonds as Told By Victor Meylan

In my last installment reviewing Victor Meylan's book, Christie's: The Jewellery Archives Revealed, I focus on the last chapter of his book. Not surprisingly, Meylan saves the best for last. Chapter 11 is all about Diamonds. I’ve already written articles about The Archduke Joseph Diamond, The Prince, The Star of South Africa, and the Oppenheimer Blue Diamond. Now, I get to write about three more - The Agra, The Polar Star, and The Eureka Diamond.  

Christie's Sells The Agra

In 1990, The Agra, a pink diamond weighing 32.24 carats, sold at Christie's. This gorgeous gem is one of the oldest precious stones in the world. Originally thought to belong to the rajahs of Gwalior, the Duke of Brunswick acquired The Agra in 1844. In 1909, it sold in Paris, having come to auction through Salomon Habib. After Christie's sold it in 1990, the new owner shaved several more carats off it, most likely to improve clarity and color. The original stone weighed 41 carats. Today it weighs 28.15 carats.  

The Polar Star

The Polar Star, another Indian diamond, weighs 40 carats. Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples and Spain, appears to be the first European to own the stone. Eventually, Prince Felix Youssoupov purchased the stone, taking it with him to Russia. In 1917, Felix escaped the revolution and took The Polar Star with him. With the help of Cartier, he sold the diamond to Lady Deterding of England. It came to Christie's among the other offerings of Lady Deterding's estate in 1980 and sold to an unknown buyer.  

The Eureka Diamond

The Eureka Diamond holds the distinction as the first important diamond discovered in South Africa. When on display at the 1867 Exposition in Paris, it weighed 21.25 carats. In 1946, at the time it passed through Christie's doors, it weighed 10.73 carats. It sold at Christie's London that year as part of a bracelet. In 1967, de Beers purchased the diamond and subsequently donated it to the people of South Africa. Today, it's on permanent loan at the Kimberley Mine Museum. I'm truly blown away by the scope of this magnificent book. Meylan wrote fascinating tales about so many jewels and their intriguing owners. Accompanying each tale, exquisite photographs of gorgeous jewelry dazzle the eye. Furthermore, portraits of the people who wore them place the jewels in context of time and culture. Also, scanned images of inventory documents and Christie's catalogs add to the historicity of the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in furthering their knowledge about some of the most important jewels of history.   ~ Angela Magnotti Andrews