Tag Archives: Wittelsbach Diamond

Colored Diamonds; Really The Blues Part II

by Richard W. Wise, G.G.

Fancy diamonds are back in the news, another auction record broken This time its blues. At Bonhams of London, a 5.30-carat fancy deep-blue diamond set a world auction record for price per carat when it sold for approximately $7.3 million, or $1.8 million per carat bettering the previous record of 1.68 million per carat. I recall a 5+ carat Fancy Deep blue emerald cut I viewed at the Las Vegas show some five years ago with an askiing price of 1 million per carat, quite a nice appreciation.

Some might argue that auction prices do not reflect actual market prices, but in the case of fancy colored diamonds and colored gems such as important ruby and sapphire, auction prices set the market. This is a pattern that began to emerge in the 1990s and accelerated in the early 2000s as retail buyers became a larger factor in the auction market. Online auctions also have helped spread the word about important gem sales and in many cases, auction prices actually lead the way.

Update on The Wittelsbach:

Another famous blue diamond is The Wittelsbach, the largest blue diamond ever sold at auction. I wrote about this gem previously, After being recut and regraded from Fancy Deep Grayish Blue to Fancy Deep Blue and exhibited at The Smithsonian Institution side by side with The Hope, London dealer Lawrence Graff reportedly sold the gem for $80,000,000 or something over 3.3 million per carat.

The Wittelsbach-Graff after recutting. Note the distinct grayish hue. Most published and Photoshopped images show the diamond as a rich pure medium hue, the reality is somewhat different; Photo: Gary Rossman

Of course there are a number of Fancy Deep Blue diamonds over five carats but no others over thirty excepting The Hope. Weighing in at 31.06 carats, The Wittelsbach commands a price based on the extreme rarity of a colored diamond of this size.

The Wittelsbach; Old Stone New Myths

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The Wittelsbach, the second most famous diamond on earth, newly recut and renamed The Wittelsbach-Graff went on view at The Smithsonian Institution last week. The unveiling of the diamond was attended by several luminaries including its billionaire owner Lawrence Graff accompanied by what Graff called “new stories” among them the newly minted story that the diamond was originally found and brought to Europe by the famous French diamond dealer Jean Baptiste Tavernier.

: The 116 carat Great Blue diamond that French gem merchant sold to Louis XIV of France in 1669, from a drawing by Tavernier published in the 1st French edition of Le Six Voyages in 1689.

Tavernier’s relationship to The Wittelsbach is tenuous at best. The French gem merchant, the man who brought the great blue diamond that subsequently became the Hope to France and sold it to Louis XIV, wrote a 17th Century bestseller called The Six Voyages of jean Baptiste Tavernier that I have just released in novel form called; The French Blue, never mentions the stone. To be fair he never mentions the Great Blue either but he does include an invoice which pictures the blue in his book. The first mention I have seen of Tavernier’s possible relationship to The Wittelsbach appeared in a recent New York Times article. The Times writer, Guy Trebay, admits that the relationship is little more than a possibility.

: The recut Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond. The recut preserved the original double stellate facet pattern and resulted in a upgraded GIA color grade of Fancy Deep Blue. Photo: Courtesy Gary Roskin

Though The Smithsonian is hosting the exhibition, Graff’s myth making marketing machine appears to be controlling every aspect of the exhibit. Access to the gem have been carefully controlled. Only a few select gemologists/experts have been even allowed to see it. One of the few journalists allowed access, Gary Roskin of The Roskin Report describes the evening:

"We were there from 5 pm until 11:30 pm, examining, and photographing. The
atmosphere was both giddy and serious. And why not? We were handling the
Hope Diamond, the world's most important deep blue, and the"
Wittelsbach-Graff, a stone that until recently was mysteriously gone from
public view. And now, here they were, possible relatives, sitting side by
side. It was quite magical."

Graff spokesman Henri Barguirdjian in an interview with Financial reporter Maria Bartiroma attempted to ah—refashion the debate over the re-cutting of the historically important gem that resulted in a loss of 4.45 carats as merely a “re-polishing”. Despite the fact that the stone is currently on view in a public institution, Graff is doing his best to control information about the gem. This writer was told that even requests for images of the newly refashioned gem must be approved by the Graff organization.

Well, as I reported previously, this particular “repolishing” resulted in a loss of 4.45 carats and the upgrading of the stone from a GIA grade of Fancy Deep Grayish Blue to Fancy Deep Blue and from VS to Flawless clarity. In the world of blue diamonds this upgrade would add a minimum of $500,000 per carat to the value of a smaller blue gem. To give Graff his due, he did not make the same mistake as the buyers of the Agra Pink, the recut followed the original facet pattern.

Though some experts have said that re-cutting the diamond was a travesty that would destroy its historical provenance, it is hardly without precedent. The gem’s big brother, the 45.52 carat Hope Diamond, originally 116 metric carats when Jean Baptiste Tavernier brought it from India, has been entirely refashioned not once but twice. The first recut, the gem that came to be known as The French Blue was ordered by Louis XIV and supervised by his court jeweler Jean Pitau. This reduced the stone into a shield shaped gem of 68 metric carats. The second recut occurred sometime after The French Blue, then set in the Medal of The Golden Fleece, was stolen from a French warehouse in 1792.

Update on Oyo Valley Red Tourmaline:

: A range of hues in red tourmaline from Nigeria’s Oyo Valley. Note the exceptional transparency (crystal) in these gemstones Photo: Robert Weldon

You’ll recall I mentioned the new Oyo Reds from Nigeria in my last post. Here is an image. There has been little red tourmaline in the market in the past few years and much of what was previously available was also from Nigeria. This material occurs in very large crystals that are sawn then cut. Very large eye-flawless gems are available, with stones up to 50 carats not uncommon.

Prices of this new material are very competitive and suites of matched stones, a rare occurrence in tourmaline, are available.

The Wittelsbach; All tarted up and ready to sell

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The Wittelsbach; All tarted up and ready to sell

by Richard W. Wise

Graff Does It again.

Few believed Lawrence Graff would have the chutzpa to recut the Wittelsbach Blue diamond, but we were all wrong. At a cost of only 4.45 carats the recut and renamed Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond has been raised from a GIA graded of Fancy Deep Grayish Blue to a Fancy Deep Blue. Its clarity grade been likewise elevated from VS2 to Internally Flawless (IF). Though I have yet to see the stone’s pavilion, based on the Smithsonian’s press statement, “Throughout the very delicate process of re-polishing this famous stone, great care and attention was taken to retain its original features”, I suspect that Graff recut retained the original double stellate brilliant facet pattern thus retaining the overall look of the original stone. For those of you who don’t know the story of Graff’s acquisition of the Wittelsbach let me refer you back to my previous GemWise. Really The Blues.

Wittelsbach facet pattern. Note the star like pattern on the pavilion.

In its original form, The Wittelsbach-Graff had a distinct window (see image above left) through the culet of the gem.

In an official biography, the claim is made that Graff is the 20th Century successor to Jean Baptiste Tavernier. Readers will recall that my new historical novel, The French Blue, chronicles the life and adventures of Tavernier, the 17th Century gem merchant who sold Louis XIV the blue diamond that would eventually become the Hope Diamond.

Though the identification with Tavernier is debatable, there is no question that Graff has shown himself to be a master of diamond recutting as well as a premier sales tactician. The newly recut Wittelsbach-Graff now sports a higher quality grade than The Hope Diamond. The Hope, though larger (45.52 carats), remains a Fancy Deep Grayish Blue and only VS1 in clarity. By arranging to show the stone, virtually side-by-side with the world’s most famous diamond, Graff also managed to pull off another coup de main. The association with The Hope cannot fail to pump-up his diamond’s provenance—that ephemeral value based upon who owned the stone and what scandals it might have been part of—so that it is now almost equal to The Hope. While putting together this exhibit is, without question, a large feather in the cap of Smithsonian curator Dr. Jeffrey Post, it could mean as much as 100 million to Graff. In a brilliant master stroke, Graff has made the Wittelsbach-Graff the second most valuable diamond on earth and as far as anyone knows, the only one available for sale. Maybe he is the 20th Century’s successor to Tavernier after all.

Re-Cutting and Value:

Graff announced his intention to recut the Wittelsbach just after he purchased it at the… Many aficionados, including this writer, criticized his intention at the time. Many assumed that it would be necessary to radically alter the facet pattern and reduce the weight, to achieve a better color grade and I assumed that Graff would take the opportunity to rid the stone of its prominent window. Graff fooled everyone. According to my sources, the diamond was worked on by three separate cutters beginning with Nino Bianco, who passed away from cancer during the process. Though specifications are not yet available, the probability is that the stone was decreased in overall diameter in order to create steeper pavilion angles. By slightly reducing the overall size he was able to accomplish his goal with just a minor if at 2 million a carat, any loss can be called minor, loss of weight. The Wittelsbach-Graff retains its original look and chances now that it is a Fancy Deep Blue without the “grayish” designation will sell for even more.

How was the Wittelsbach actually recut, how does it look now? For the definitive answer to that question you can rush down to the Smithsonian on January 29th, the first full day the gem will be on display, or stay tuned to GemWise.

Golconda Diamonds Part II

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The Legendary Blue-White Diamonds, Rarest of them All

by Richard W. Wise

Just recently it was my good fortune to examine one of the legendary diamonds of Golconda. These gems were originally mined in India in the 16th-18th Centuries. The mines were tapped out by about 1725. Many of the world’s most famous diamonds, including the Regent and the Sancy (pictured above right), The Hope and the Koh-i-Noor came from the mines of Golconda. This gem was accompanied by a GIA certificate rating it D Flawless, the highest possible diamond grade and a Gublin Laboratory certificate that identified the stone as a Type IIa. (Regent above left, Sancy above right)

As discussed in my previous post, recent scientific analysis has shown that diamonds with proven Golconda provenance are of a specific type of rare, pure carbon diamond known as Type IIa. Less than 1% of the world’s diamonds are Type IIa. Scientifically speaking, Type IIa diamonds are an almost pure carbon diamond containing no significant amount of nitrogen in the crystal lattice. Nitrogen is the impurity in diamond that imparts the yellowish hue. The lack of yellow makes for a pure colorless (D,E,F) color diamond. Some experts claim that all Golconda diamonds are Type II. There is, as far as I know, no scientific evidence to back up that claim.

Blue-White Beauty:

Golconda stones are the true blue white diamonds of legend. Today, dealers use the term blue white to describe diamonds that exhibit blue ultraviolet fluorescence. About 30% off all diamonds will exhibit this characteristic. Though ultra-violet fluorescence is not visible to the naked eye, though its effect may be. Blue is the complement of yellow, meaning that blue fluorescence in diamond effectively cancels out some of the yellow in the diamond’s body color. As a result, fluorescent diamonds will face up whiter than their actual color grade might suggest–a fluorescent H might look like a D color. It is UV fluorescence is also responsible for the super-charged saturation of very fine Burma-type rubies.

The gem I examined, a 9+ carat D-Flawless took on a distinct distinct bluish glow in direct sunlight. I had never seen this before. The blue glow was distinct and visible. Unable to believe my eyes I re-examined the certificate, it read: “no fluorescence”! I checked the stone myself, there was absolutely no fluorescence in either short or long-wave UV. How could this be?

Ian Balfour in his book, Famous Diamonds specifically mentions a “light blue tinge” as a characteristic of The 140 carat Regent Diamond. The Regent, originally called “The Pitt” was brought to England in 1670 and is, unquestionably, of Golconda origin (above left). Diamond scholar Herbert Tillander describes this affect as a “blue afterglow.” and notes that most Type II diamonds do not fluoresce. One exception, the Hope Diamond, a Type IIb (contains Boron) will not only fluoresce it will actually phosphoresce meaning that the stone will continue to glow last after the UV light source has been removed. Tillander further notes that some Type II diamonds have been found in South Africa’s Premier Mine, other sources mention Brazil.

Blue Haze:

Not all Type IIa diamonds exhibit this characteristic though Golconda stones do. I was able to examine another D-Flawless type IIa that placed side by side with the 9 carat, failed to exhibit the blue glow. In the Golconda stone, in direct sunlight, the blue hue floated above the gem like an early morning haze.

Fine Crystal; The 4th C:

Perhaps due to their pure carbon composition, Golconda diamonds exhibit another characteristic, a high degree of transparency, Balfour describes The Regent as having a “unique limpidity” that some dealers refer to as “super-d” or what I refer to in my book Secrets Of The Gem Trade, as a super-crystal. Very fine gems of all colors possess this characteristic. Compare a regular wine glass with one made of lead crystal, hold both up to the light and you will get the idea. When compared to another D color Type IIa not of Golconda origin, the difference was unmistakable. The characteristic strikes one as a combination of ultra-limpidity coupled with what connoisseurs refer to as “whiter than white” both characteristics were visible in the Golconda but not in the other gem.

The stone I examined was cut in a fashion almost identical to the Regent, a cut known as a baroque brilliant or old European (image left). Stones cut in this fashion are of a different character than the modern brilliant. The crown is higher and the pavilion facets are shorter and broader.

A fine diamond possesses two characteristics that define its beauty, brilliance and dispersion. Dispersion is the ability to break white light up into its constituent rainbow colors. In the single minded pursuit of maximum light return, modern brilliant cut gems have sacrificed dispersion to produce maximum brilliance. As a result they have become soul-less light return machines. A well cut baroque brilliant by contrast will exhibit a balance of brilliance and dispersion that gives the diamond its distinct character and beauty–a character that is missing in so many modern super-ideal cuts.

(image above, side view of Golconda diamond), Compare the color of the center with the side trillion that is definitely not of Golconda origin.

To summarize, there appear to be three visual characteristics that define the beauty of Golconda diamonds: A high degree of limpidity (crystal), an ultra-whiteness and a blue afterglow that appears in natural daylight. Golconda gems are Type IIa diamonds and this can be established by scientific testing. All Type IIa diamonds, however, are not Golconda diamonds; to be considered Golconda, they must possess the visual characteristics just described.

It is unclear whether Type IIa diamonds from other sources possess the characteristics discussed above, there certainly are some that do not. However, in the final analysis, we are interested in gems not geography. in gems beauty is the ultimate criterion. When it comes to Golconda diamonds if they deliver the goods, how much does source really matter.

If you are interested in learning more about Golconda Diamonds or are simply looking for a new way to dazzle your friends at cocktail parties. Read more about the four Cs of connoisseurship. Follow me on gem buying adventures in the pearl farms of Tahiti. Visit the gem fields of Australia and Brazil. 120 carefully selected photographs showing examples of the highest quality gems to educate the eye, including the Rockefeller Sapphire and many more of the world’s most famous gems. Consider my book: Secrets Of The Gem Trade, The Connoisseur’s Guide To Precious Gemstones.

“Wise is a renowned author… He’s
done a marvelous job of this first book, monumental work, a tour de force…My recommendation: Buy this book”.

Charles Lewton-Brain, Orchid

Only $37.95. Read a couple of chapters online: www.secretsofthegemtrade.com.

Buy it on Amazon: www.amazon.com

“Secrets of the Gem Trade” subject of Ventfort Hall lecture

– July 30, 2007

Described by Gemkey Magazine as “one of the world’s foremost gem connoisseurs,” gemologist Richard W. Wise will bring his expertise to a Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum visual presentation on Wednesday, August 29 at 4 p.m. A Victorian Tea will follow this final lecture of Ventfort Hall’s summer series.

Admission for the lecture and tea is $15 per person, members $12. For more information or reservations, please call 413-637-3206. Ventfort Hall is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.