wittelsbach diamond

Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond On Display In New York

Filed under: Jewelry

If you didn't get a chance to check out the rare 31.06-carat flawless deep blue Wittelsbach-Graff diamond while it was hanging out with its blue cousin the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian you have another chance. The famous stone is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History until early next year.

The Wittelsbach-Graff bears the names of two of its owners. It was just the Wittelsbach, a 35.56 carat stone purchased in 2008 for $24.3 million by famed diamantaire Laurence Graff. The stone, now known as the Wittelsbach-Graff diamond has been recut to 31.06 carats to showcase the color and up the rating to internally flawless. type IIb, deep blue.

The stone has a long history dating back to 1664 when it was given by Philip IV of Spain to his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa, upon her engagement to Emperor Leopold I of Austria. The stone was later passed to the Wittelsbach family, part of the ruling house of Bavaria and takes its name from them. The crown jewels of the House of Wittelsbach were sold at Christie's in 1931 but the blue diamond was not among them. It resurfaced in Belgium in 1951.

The Wittelsbach-Graff diamond will be on display at the American Museum of Natural History through January 2nd, 2011. Check out a video of the unveiling after the jump.

[via DNA Info]

Tags: blue diamond, blue diamonds, wittelsbach, wittelsbach diamond, wittelsbach-graff, WittelsbachDiamond

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Recut Wittelsbach Diamond Goes On Display

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The famous Wittselsbach diamond has a new name in honor of its new owner. The 35.56 carat stone was purchased in December by famed diamantaire Laurence Graff. The stone, now known as the Wittelsbach-Graff diamond has been recut to 31.06 carats to showcase the color and up the rating to internally flawless. type IIb, deep blue. The new version of the stone will join the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on Jan. 28.

The stone has a long history dating back to 1664 when it was given by Philip IV of Spain to his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa, upon her engagement to Emperor Leopold I of Austria. The stone was later passed to the Wittelsbach family, part of the ruling house of Bavaria and takes its name from them. The crown jewels of the House of Wittelsbach were later sold at Christie's in 1931 but the blue diamond was not among them. It resurfaced in Belgium in 1951. The two stones together represent two of the finest blue diamonds in the world. While the stone is at the museum it will be tested two determine if the two stones share a common provenance.

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Tags: blue diamond, BlueDiamond, wittelsbach, wittelsbach diamond, WittelsbachDiamond