Scientific guide about black diamonds. Nadezhda Iushkina
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once it ended up with the French jeweler – Daniel Paillasseur, who was genuinely in love with precious stones and had a passion for Russian history. Therefore, when it came time to name the company, he decided to name it the House of Korloff, as a tribute to the Russian roots of the magical diamond. Currently, the Korloff Noir is on display in one of the showcases of the flagship Korloff boutique in Paris.
Black Orlov
Next, we mention the Black Orlov diamond weighing 67.50 carats. It was cut from a 195-carat black diamond. New York jeweler Harry Winston exhibited the rare diamond to the public in its natural form for some time, and later adorned a platinum necklace with it alongside other diamonds. In 1990, 1995, and 2006, the stone was put up for sale at Sotheby's auction house. In 1951, it was presented at an exhibition at the New York Museum of Natural History, in 1964 – at a jewelry exhibition in Dallas, in 1967 – at the diamond pavilion in Johannesburg, South Africa, and in 2005 – at the London Museum of Natural History. In the early 2000s, the stone sparkled on the necks of actresses Felicity Huffman and Nicollette Sheridan, as well as on the neck of diamond book author Vicky Peterson.
Le Grand Noir Diamond
The Le Grand Noir Diamond weighs 56.65 carats. The history of the precious crystal "Big Black Diamond" was unknown until it came into the possession of the Louis XV jewelry house. The black diamond Le Grand Noir is set in the center of a pendant with diamonds. Experienced experts estimate this decoration at $755,000.
Amsterdam
And completing our list is the famous stone – the Black Amsterdam Diamond. It weighs 55.85 carats. In the early 1970s, the Black Amsterdam diamond was found in South Africa and ended up in a pile of stones deemed unsuitable for jewelry processing. A worker responsible for crushing such diamonds into dust for technological purposes noticed the sparkle and hardness of the black crystal. He set aside this black diamond and later showed it to his supervisor, thus presenting the world with this unique specimen. Expert analysis revealed a high-quality black diamond suitable for jewelry. In 1972, the future Amsterdam Black Diamond was acquired by the jewelry firm D. Drukker & Zn. The name "Black Amsterdam Diamond" was given in honor of the 700th anniversary of the Dutch capital, Amsterdam. This city was one of the first European centers of the diamond industry from the 17th century until World War II, after which diamond processing leadership shifted to Antwerp. The Black Amsterdam diamond first appeared for sale in Amsterdam in 1973 – it was presented in the showcase of the D. Drukker & Zn jewelry store. The Black Amsterdam diamond was cut into a pear shape weighing 33.74 carats. Typically, pear-shaped diamonds have 57 or 58 facets – the Black Amsterdam diamond has twice as many facets. As a result, despite its opacity, the Black Amsterdam Diamond has a uniquely stunning sparkle.
The jewelry company D. Drukker & Zn developed a pendant for the Black Amsterdam diamond, which best highlighted all its beauty and sparkle. In the center was the Black Amsterdam diamond surrounded by 15 small colorless white diamonds in a cushion shape. The Black Amsterdam diamond gained worldwide fame thanks to numerous international exhibitions. Its value in 1991 was $2 million. On November 14, 2001, the Black Amsterdam diamond was removed from its setting for the Geneva auction at Christie's. It sold for $352,000 – a record price paid for a black diamond. On September 27, 2001, the Black Amsterdam diamond received a certificate from the Geneva company Gem Tech Lab, confirming its rare monocrystalline origin. According to experts, the color of the Amsterdam diamond is formed by patterns of graphite particles in its crystalline structure.
Of course, history knows of many more large black diamonds, but many of them disappeared during various historical events or information about them was classified or little known, so I didn't consider all of them, but tried to only cover the largest and most interesting ones.
Ordinary black diamonds
Black diamond is a fancy diamond of deep black color, retaining some transparency and a characteristic silky luster. Unlike other colored diamonds, which mainly derive their color from chemical impurities or defects in the substance's structure, such as nitrogen, hydrogen, and boron, raw black diamonds owe their color to the inclusion of graphite and its clustering throughout the diamond.
Type Ia black diamonds: This type of black diamonds contains a large number of inclusions that give them a dark or black color. Inclusions may include graphite, pyrrhotite, pyrope, and other inclusions that form during the crystallization of diamonds.
Type IIa black diamonds: This type of black diamonds has a minimal amount of nitrogen in their structure, making them cleaner and more transparent compared to other black diamonds. They can form under conditions of high pressure and temperature in the depths of the Earth.
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