Diamonds are Forever Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nine

On January 26, 1905, the Cullinan Diamond was found in the Number 2 Premier mine in Cullinan, South Africa. Weighing in at 3,106.75 carats, it was the largest diamond (by far) that was of gem-quality. The rock was cut into 105 diamonds in total, but nine major stones were produced from it. Joseph Asscher & Co. in Amsterdam were commissioned to do the cutting and gave back the two largest stones to the English royal family while keeping the rest of the stones as payment. The collection (minus Cullinan VI) was bought by the South African government and later presented to Queen Mary. All the Cullinan stones now belong to the monarch of the United Kingdom by right of the Crown.

Cullinan I weighs 530.2 carats while Cullinan IX weighs a 'mere' 4.39 carats.

Answer: Males

The Koh-i-Noor diamond is thought to have first been mentioned in the writings about Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. It was certainly in possession of the Mughal emperors by the 17th century but one by one, they encountered death and strife during their reign.

When the Mughals were in decline, the diamond went to the Sikh empire, and then acquired in a treaty by the British Empire in 1849. In England the diamond was recut making it much smaller but giving it much more brilliance (and removing a major flaw).

It was placed in the crown of Queen Victoria and then it went to the consort of the king, having gained a reputation that it brought bad luck to males who would wear it. The stone was set in a crown for Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, and it made a public appearance in 2002 at her funeral.

Answer: The vault in Dresden Castle was robbed and the contents were never seen again

The Dresden Green Diamond is a rare 41-carat diamond which is naturally green in colour. This means that it had been exposed to radiation, a process which gave it the unusual colour. This kind of effect usually can be reproduced in artificial diamonds; however, when it is naturally occurring, it is quite rare (and quite valuable).

The diamond has been on display in the New Green Vault in Dresden Castle, Dresden, Germany, since the late 18th century. It has travelled a bit, to Washington to be displayed with the Hope Diamond, and in 2019, it was on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. On November 25, 2019, the New Green Vault was broken into and cleaned out. It is estimated that the value of all of the stolen goods exceeded $1.1 billion USD, but, at least the Dresden Green Diamond was safe.

Answer: Great Star of Africa

The Great Star of Africa is the largest of the diamonds cut from the Cullinan Diamond found in South Africa in 1905. It was given to the King of the United Kingdom at the time, Edward VII, who then had the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross redesigned to hold the diamond at its head. The clasps holding the diamond in place can be opened to allow the sovereign to wear the diamond as a brooch.

The Great Star of Africa weighs in at a whopping 530.2 carats which was the largest in the world, but this was surpassed in 1992 as the largest cut-and-polished diamond.

Answer: Napoleon I

Weighing in at 140.64 carats, the Regent Diamond of France is considered to be one of the most beautiful diamonds, certainly of its size, in the world. This is mostly due to the amazing clarity of the gem but also because of its excellent cut.

It was owned by Thomas Pitt, the Governor of Ft. St. George in India who smuggled it into England to have it cut. It was then sold to the French royalty and was used by Louis XV as well as Marie Antoinette before it was stolen during the French Revolution. It was recovered by the French and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte used it in the guard of his sword. It is currently at the French Royal Treasury at the Louvre in Paris.

Answer: It is still uncut

The Oppenheimer Diamond was named after Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, the German-South African diamond magnate who was the controlling partner of the De Beers diamond mining and trading consortium. Harry Winston, the jeweler, bequeathed this diamond to the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of Natural History in 2013.

This diamond is a large 253.7-carat stone that is one of the largest uncut diamonds in the world. What makes it interesting is that it managed to retain its octahedral form until the time it was found making it nearly perfectly shaped by natural forces.

Answer: Half a pigeon's egg

The Orlov Diamond is set in the Imperial Sceptre of Russia, ordered to be placed there by Tsarina Catherine the Great. As legend has it, the Orlov Diamond was taken from India and may have been the eye of a deity in some temple that was stolen by a French soldier. Regardless, the Russian Imperial family took possession of the diamond in the 18th century via Count Orlov who then presented it to Catherine the Great with whom he had been involved.

The stone itself is shaped like half of a bird's egg, perhaps a chicken or a pigeon, and the dome part is facing outwards of the sceptre.

Answer: Garnet (Almandite)

The DeYoung Red Diamond is a 5.03-carat red diamond and is the first red diamond to be displayed in public. When it was donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1987, it was the third largest red diamond in the world. It was donated upon the death of its owner, Sydney DeYoung, after whom the gem is also named.

The diamond is considered quite precious and is protected by bulletproof glass in the highly secured Hall of Gems of the Museum of Natural History. However, it was sent to the Smithsonian in a plain box, uninsured, by regular post. When DeYoung acquired the gem, he thought it was a garnet, as it was being sold at a flea market. Being a gemologist, he quickly noticed that there were signs that the gem wasn't actually a garnet and it was swiftly identified as a rare red diamond.

Answer: Astor

The origins of the Sancy Diamond are disputed, but, it is generally accepted that the gem was originally a larger gem known as the Balle de Flandres and was owned by the French aristocracy of the 14th century. After a stint in Portugal, the stone returned to France, recut, to the French nobleman Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy. From his title came the name of the diamond. The stone travelled to England and back to France and then was lost in the French Revolution. Afterwards, it was located in Russia, then India, and then it ended up in the hands of a Russian collector.

In 1906, the well-travelled gem was bought by the rich Astor family. It remained in their possession for over seven decades until they sold it to the Louvre where it is currently displayed.

Answer: French

Jean-Baptiste Tavernier was a French trader who, on one of his trips to India, returned with a large diamond of a colour he described as "violet" (the name in 1666 for a blue diamond). He dealt primarily with the French aristocracy and the diamond was sold to the King of France, Louis XIV. It had amazing clarity, unusual for a diamond of that size, and its colour made it even more unique. The king ordered it recut into a 68-carat diamond called the French Blue and reset in a pendant.

During the French Revolution the diamond was stolen. It was recut (to help prevent its identification) and sold, first to the English king, then to the Hope banking family. It eventually ended up in the United States and is now featured in the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of Natural History. It is said to be cursed...