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The Mystery Of The Star Of The South Diamond
Filed under: Jewelry
A few days ago I brought you news of the Baroda Pearls, the very pricey strand of pearls that is part of the property of the royal Gaekwad family of Baroda. The Times of India has a fascinating story about another royal jewel that was part of the same treasure, the Star of the South. The Star of the South is a 128.8 carat diamond which was discovered by a slave woman in a Brazil mine in 1853. Back then it was sold for just $3,000 and passed through various hands before it was cut into a cushion stone with a light pinkish-brownish hue. The stone, which is now valued at around $94 million, has been bought by Cartier according to a new book, "After Ambassadors, Before Dukes" by author KRN Swamy. Swamy dedicates an entire chapter `The Most Flamboyant Maharani' to Sita Devi, the second wife of Maharaja Pratapsinh Gaekwad. Sangramsinh, the youngest son of Pratapsinh, has been claiming that the Star of the South is among the heirlooms that is under dispute and was in possession of the palace. The jewelry world had lost track of the diamond for a while and it is believed that Cartier bought it from Rustomjee Jamsetjee of Mumbai in 2002. Now, according to the article, Sangramsinh's lawyer Kailash Jethmalani says that they are "tracing the route through which the diamond reached Cartier and are examining possible legal action." 
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