Here is an interesting news item about the second largest diamond in the world that has been worn and owned by royalty and whose complete history remains locked in mystery and speculation. Called the Wittelsbach Blue Diamond after the House of Wittelsbach, a European royal family from Bavaria, the thirty-five point fifty-six carat diamond is second in size to the infamous Hope diamond displayed in the US Smithsonian Institution. Having been documented as owned by at least three royal dynasties, its history cannot be entirely chronicled
as no one really knows where the diamond has been for years. Surprisingly, however, it has now shown up to be auctioned by Christie’s of London in December. And of course, the seller or owner of the blue diamond is anonymous, keeping the last eighty years of possession shrouded in mystery.
Expected to garner in the neighborhood of nine million pounds, Christie’s has issued a photograph of the Wittelsbach Blue Diamond being held by a white gloved hand. The price expected seems rather low compared with other recently auctioned diamonds with far less notoriety and given the fact that diamonds are a good investment in a poor economy. Regardless of the end price, the auction will surely receive plenty of attention.
To show you the significance of the blue diamond, here are a few royal facts about its existence:
- dates back to the seventeenth century
- was chosen by King Philip IV of Spain as part of the marriage dowry for his daughter, Infanta Margarita Teresa
- after her death, the diamond passed to her husband, the Emperor, making it part of the Austrian crown jewels
- become a component in the Bavarian royal crown
Because Bavaria must display the crown without the diamond, the Prime Minister has indicated that they might place a bid on the Wittelsbach Blue Diamond to restore its place in obvious hole in the crown jewels.
One Response
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am
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Cheers
Ari
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