wittelsbach

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]

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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

Famous Blue Diamond Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

A historic blue-gray diamond will go on sale at Christie's London on December 10. The diamond, a 35.56 carat beauty, is known as the Wittelsbach diamond and as the Telegraph reports, it was given to Infanta Margarita Teresa by her father King Philip IV of Spain on the occasion of her engagement (to her uncle Leopold I of Austria no less). It was part of first the Austrian and then the Bavarian crown jewels before ending up back in private hands. It has been part of the same collection since 1964.

The diamond has the ideal combination of rarity (blue diamonds of this size are extraordinary scarce) and historical provenance and has been estimated to bring as much as £10 million at Christie's. Even six months ago it would seem a slam dunk that this gem would meet or even exceed estimates (in May a 13.39 carat blue diamond stunner sold for a world record price of $8.9 million). Now, however, even those at the highest ends of the market are cautious.

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Tags: auction, blue diamond, BlueDiamond, diamonds, wittelsbach