Black Orlov diamond
- lucilledaver1
- Feb 24
- 4 min read
The Black Orlov diamond is a captivating gem shrouded in mystery. Originally cut from a 195-carat rough stone, the Black Orlov is now a 67.50-carat cushion-cut black diamond, classified as "fancy black, natural color" by the Gemological Institute of America in 1998. It is exquisitely set in a platinum brooch adorned with laurel wreath designs encrusted with 800 diamonds and suspended from a necklace featuring 124 additional diamonds. Its origins remain unknown, debated between India and Russia, with tales of curses adding to its enigmatic allure. Today, though its curse is believed to be lifted, the Black Orlov continues to be a symbol of fascination and a coveted treasure among rare gemstone enthusiasts.
Description and mineralogy
The Black Orlov is a natural cushion-cut black diamond measuring 28.12 mm x 25.78 mm with a thickness of 13.89 mm. Although classified as a "black diamond," its color is more accurately described as a gunmetal dark gray. Completely black natural diamonds are exceptionally rare. Black diamonds owe their coloration either to numerous inclusions of graphite and metal (commonly referred to today as "salt-and-pepper" diamonds) or to their polycrystalline structure, meaning they are composed of aggregates of diamond crystals with significant inclusions. This polycrystalline structure makes polishing and faceting particularly challenging, increasing the risk of fractures and chipping. Faceting such stones often takes significantly longer than for colorless diamonds, and the finished gems are more prone to damage. Black coloration can also be achieved through irradiation treatment, this is not the case for the Black Orlov, whose hue is entirely natural.
Origin and Discovery: Legend and Curse
Nicknamed the "Eye of Brahma," the uncut 195-carat black stone is said, according to legend, to have been taken from the eye of a statue of the Hindu god Brahma in a temple near Pondicherry, India, in the 19th century. This theft, attributed to a monk, is believed to have triggered a curse linked to three mysterious suicides. However, this Indian origin is widely disputed. Experts suggest the stone was likely discovered in the early 1800s, but there is no historical evidence to confirm the existence of black diamonds in India or any connection to a divine statue. The stories surrounding the Black Orlov strongly resemble the tale of the famous Hope Diamond, hinting at a fabricated legend designed to enhance its enigmatic allure. Russia has also been mentioned as a possible origin due to the nationalities of some of its past owners.
The diamond is said to have belonged to Princess Nadia Vyegin Orlov of Russia, who later lent her name to it, and to Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinskaia. Both fled the Russian Revolution of 1917 and sought refuge in Rome, Italy, as did many members of the Russian royal family at the time, where they eventually sold the diamond. The two princesses allegedly died by suicide under mysterious circumstances, just one month apart, in the 1940s. However, there is no record of a Prince or Princess Vyegin-Orlov in Russian history, as all Prince Orlovs are descendants of the brothers of Catherine the Great’s lover, Count Grigory Grigorievich Orlov. The only officially recognized owners of the diamond are Princess Leonilla of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and Nadezhda Petrovna of Russia, both of whom lived to an advanced age.
The black diamond later reappeared in 1932 in the United States, imported from Rome by jeweler J.W. Paris. Shortly after selling the gem, Paris went to the top of a Manhattan skyscraper on Fifth Avenue and jumped to his death. This incident, considered by some to be the first known victim of the supposed curse, added to the belief in a deadly legend surrounding the diamond.
Purchase and Resale : the curse is broken
It then changed hands several times, passing through various collectors and dealers. In an effort to break the supposed curse, Charles F. Winson, who had acquired the diamond, had it cut into three pieces, one of which, weighing 67.5 carats, is the one now known as the Black Orlov. He exhibited it at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 1951, at the Texas State Fair in Dallas in 1964, and at the Diamond Pavilion in Johannesburg in 1967.
In July 1969, he sold it for $300,000 USD to an unknown buyer. This was the first well-documented sale of the Black Orlov. Around this time, the diamond was set in its current mounting before being auctioned by Sotheby's in 1990 for $99,000 USD, and later sold in 1995 to an anonymous private collector for $1.5 million USD.
In 2004, jeweler Dennis Petimezas acquired the Black Orlov and expressed his belief that the curse had been lifted. After being exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London in 2005, he sold it on October 11, 2006, during a Christie's Magnificent Jewels auction for $352,000 USD, far exceeding its initial estimate of $100,000 to $200,000 USD.
Black is the new black
In recent years, the price of colored diamonds has continuously increased, particularly for "ordinary" black diamonds weighing between 3 and 10 carats, whose value has risen from just a few dollars to $3,000–$3,500 per carat. If the Black Orlov, a 67.5-carat diamond ranked among the seven largest black diamonds in the world, were to return to the auction market, it could easily double its 2006 selling price and even exceed one million dollars. By comparison, the 555.55-carat Enigma diamond was sold for $4.28 million in 2022 at Sotheby’s. Regardless of its origin, the mystery surrounding it and the story of its broken curse contribute to its unique aura, making the Black Orlov a true star in the world of gemstones.
Article rédigé par Lucille Daver pour le magazine canadien Jewellery Business :
References
Balfour, I. (2009). Famous Diamonds, 5th edn. Antique Collectors’ Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk, 335 pp.
Balfour, Ian (1997), Famous Diamonds, Christie's Books, ISBN 0-903432-51-X
Eaton-Magaña, S., Ardon, T., Breeding, C. M., & Shigley, J. E. (2019). Natural-color fancy white and fancy black diamonds: Where color and clarity converge. Gems Gemol, 55, 320-337.
Fanthorpe, Lionel; Fanthorpe, Patricia (2009), Secrets of the World's Undiscovered Treasures, Dundurn Press, ISBN 978-1-55002-938-3
Harlow, George E. (1998), The Nature of Diamonds, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-62935-7
Comments