The rarity of certain precious stones and their heroic stories has resulted in some diamonds gaining a mythical status. One such stone is the Sancy Diamond, a diamond of no fewer than 55.23 carats and with a unique pale-yellow appearance. The diamond, which is one of the most beautiful diamonds in the world, has a turbulent history but it is now back in safe hands in France. What is the story behind the Sancy Diamond?
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The Sancy Diamond was first mentioned in books in the year 1477. Charles the Bold lost the Battle of Nancy. He fled and was found dead two days later; he had fallen off his horse. He was succeeded by his daughter Mary of Burgundy (who was later at the cradle of the diamond engagement ring). The diamond probably fell prey to the Portuguese during the battle, because the Sancy Diamond first appeared in Portugal.
The stone stayed in Portuguese hands for almost a century before continuing its journey
In 1570, the property owner of Sancy, Nicolas de Harlay, bought the precious stone to add to his collection of precious stones. De Harley clearly estimated its value because he decided not to sell the diamond. He lent the diamond to the French Court where pomp and circumstance were always in style. Until 1596, the Sancy was part of the French Court's jewellery collection, albeit as a borrowed object.
De Harley didn't want to sell the diamond, but he was forced to take measures in 1596 to save his financial situation. He decided to sell the diamond, but not to the French Court. James I of England made the winning bid and the diamond would then stay out of France for almost a century.
James II lost the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, fled to France and sold the diamond to Louis XIV, the Sun King. The Sancy remained at the French Court, but things went wrong during the riots of the French Revolution. Various rare diamonds were stolen, including the Sancy and The Blue Hope Diamond.
The precious stone reappeared in 1828 and the Russian Prince Anatoly Demidov bought the diamond. In 1865, the prince sold the Sancy to a French jeweller, after which William Waldorf Astor bought the stone in 1906 and gave it to his daughter-in-law as a wedding present.
James I of England gave the Sancy its name. He christened the diamond as the Sancy Diamond because he bought it from Nicolas de Harlay, property owner of Sancy. In the Tower of London, where it stayed for a while, the diamond had a plaque stating: 'bought of Sauncy'.
The Sancy is really unique, especially its colour. We can evaluate the French diamond on the basis of the 4 Cs:
The son of the Astors inherited the Sancy diamond and sold it to the Louvre. It can still be admired there today, alongside other French Crown Jewels. After over half a millennium of exciting history, it is definitely worth visiting the Louvre to see the Sancy Diamond.
So, why buy diamond jewellery from BAUNAT? We also offer a customised service from a budget of €4,000. Working with our experts you can design diamond jewellery entirely how you want it. If you have any questions about our jewellery or about certain styles and trends, our experts are always on hand to provide advice.
The diamonds and other precious stones from BAUNAT are of course of the highest possible quality. BAUNAT buys its diamonds directly from the source, eliminating intermediaries and enabling us to offer jewellery online 30% to 50% cheaper. Moreover, we only work with high-quality materials. For the precious metals, this is 18 carat gold and 950 platinum.
With its rich history, the Sancy Diamond has become one of the most valuable diamonds in the world. Read more about other valuable diamonds.
The quality of diamonds is translated into the 4 C's:
The 4 C's not only provide verifiable information about the quality of your stone, they also make it possible to make your diamond traceable. When you are going to buy diamonds, you will always get a certificate that proves the value of your diamond.
Carats in diamonds mean the weight or the size of the stone. 1 carat equals 0.2 grams and is expressed on a scale of 100 points or 200 milligrams. The scale gives a very precise diamond weight and is rounded off to two decimal places.
The carat weight can sometimes seem to differ due to different cutting methods, but will always express the same weight. Some diamond cuts look optically larger than others because of the proportions of the diamond.
For diamond jewelry, carat refers to the total of all the included diamonds. A diamond necklace with 10 stones of 0.30 ct. will therefore be a necklace of 3.00 ct.
Most diamonds suitable for jewelery have a colour ranging from white to yellow. The correct colour of a diamond is determined based on an internationally accepted colour set, the master set, developed by the GIA. The colour ranges from D, colourless and most coveted, to Z, the most yellow.
If you are interested in buying diamonds for a pure investment, you should look for a higher colourlessness than if you want to buy diamonds in jewellery.
The names of colours have changed over time, so you might encounter terms in the diamond world that you have not heard before when you are ready to buy diamonds. However, the quality requirements concerning colour have not changed.
A diamond can also have other colours such as brown, orange, pink, blue and more. The most intense of these colours are named 'Fancy Coloured' and belong to a separate category. The 'Fancy' name is also mentioned on the certificate for your diamond. Coloured diamonds are extremely rare and therefore very expensive.
The grades of coloured diamonds are categorized into 9 subdivisions that all have a different nuance based on colour, colour saturation and depending on the individual stone. In order of least colour to most colour, they get one of the following names:
'Faint' shows the lightest colour that a diamond graded as 'Fancy Coloured' can have. 'Fancy Deep' is the deepest and most expensive colour saturation. Buying coloured diamonds is often very lucrative but requires a higher investment than buying colourless diamonds.
To determine the clarity or brightness of a stone, an expert must be consulted. He examines the stone under a magnifying glass that magnifies the inside of the diamond 10 times. If no impurities, also known as blemishes, are observed under these conditions, the stone is classified as pure.
Most diamonds are created with birthmarks known as inclusions or imperfections. The fewer there are the more light the diamond reflects and the more beautifully it shines. This, however, does not mean that a diamond with inclusions cannot be eye-clean.
Buying diamonds in jewellery can often be more economical, since you can easily choose eye-clean diamonds. For investment diamonds, however, a lower brightness is less suitable.
The clarity of the diamond can be influenced by two kinds of impurities or flaws. External impurities are found on the surface due to wear or damage during cutting. By contrast, internal impurities are located inside the stone and form during the creation process. There are 3 types of inclusions:
The cut shape is the most important feature of a cut diamond. This is the only value-determining factor that is influenced by man, but it does influence the diamond’s brilliance the most. What is a diamond brilliance? The brilliance of a diamond refers to the amount of light reflected by a diamond. The amount of brilliance depends on the cut of the diamond. The cutting process is therefore the most important factor to determine the value when you want to buy diamonds.
The cut shape refers to the proportions of the parts of the cut diamond, the symmetry and the brilliance. When the pavilion of the diamond is too deep or too shallow, light will escape through the sides and the bottom of the gemstone.
In a well-cut diamond, almost all the light will pass through the crown. The size of the table varies depending on the cut shape and affects, among other things, the optical size of the diamond. The girdle is mainly responsible for strength and is described instead of graded like the rest of the cut. The bottom of the diamond, often a slightly honed point, is called the culet. This miniscule facet is often not visible to the naked eye and contributes to the brilliance.
The cut quality is determined depending on the cut shape. Other shapes than the standard round cut are called 'fancy shapes'. The best-known shapes are marquise, pear shape, oval shape, heart shape and emerald. The brilliant is the name for the round cut with 57 facets, the cut shape that sparkles most of all possible types.
Would you like to know more about how diamonds get their value? Are you interested in buying diamonds in any form? Watch this video from the HRD with more information about diamonds and certificates, or ask the diamond experts at BAUNAT for advice on your investment.