Often mistaken to be black in color, the hypnotic deep "gun-metal" tones of this legendary black diamond struggle to hide the reflections of a very dark past, beginning with a theft from a Hindu idol and resulting in no less than three mysterious suicides.
The Black Orlov Diamond, also known as the Eye of Brahma Diamond, weights 67.50 carats and was once part of a much larger uncut 195 carat diamond, which can be traced back to 19th century India. Legend has it that the uncut stone originally featured as one of the eyes in a statue of Brahma, the Hindu God of creation, which stood in a shrine in the southern Indian city of Pondicherry. It is believed that the diamond was stolen from the statue by a travelling monk, after which it became cursed.
In 1932 the diamond found its way to the United States, imported by a European diamond dealer named Mr J.W. Paris who was in search of a buyer. Little is known about J.W. Paris but within a week of arriving in New York he had sold the diamond, and shortly thereafter, on April 7th of that same year, he made his way to the top of a Manhattan skyscraper in the heart of 5th Avenue and jumped to his death, becoming what some say to be the first known victim of the diamond's curse.
Going back to the turn of the 20th century, the diamond was in the possession of a Russian heir named Princess Nadia Vygin-Orlov; the source of the black diamond's name, which was bestowed after a much later incident from where the legend is born.
During the 1917 Russian revolution, Princess Nadia fled Russia to the safety of Rome, Italy, as did many Russian royals at the time. It was some time later; December 2nd 1947 to be precise, some 15 years after the tragic death of J.W. Paris, when Princess Nadia leaped to her death from a building in central Rome, in what was believed to have been a suicide. At the time of her death the Princess was the wife of a Russian jeweler, but little more is known about the circumstances of her death.
Only one month previous to Princess Nadia's death, another member of Russian royalty, Princess Leonila Viktorovna-Bariatinsky had leaped to her death, in what again was believed to have been a suicide. At the time of her death, Princess Leonila was married to Royal Navy Officer Prince Andre Glinstine, but no further details are available about her life at the time of her fatal jump, although it was later discovered that previous to her death she had been the owner of this now infamous precious stone, the Black Orlov Diamond.
The Black Orlov Diamond, also known as the Eye of Brahma Diamond, weights 67.50 carats and was once part of a much larger uncut 195 carat diamond, which can be traced back to 19th century India. Legend has it that the uncut stone originally featured as one of the eyes in a statue of Brahma, the Hindu God of creation, which stood in a shrine in the southern Indian city of Pondicherry. It is believed that the diamond was stolen from the statue by a travelling monk, after which it became cursed.
In 1932 the diamond found its way to the United States, imported by a European diamond dealer named Mr J.W. Paris who was in search of a buyer. Little is known about J.W. Paris but within a week of arriving in New York he had sold the diamond, and shortly thereafter, on April 7th of that same year, he made his way to the top of a Manhattan skyscraper in the heart of 5th Avenue and jumped to his death, becoming what some say to be the first known victim of the diamond's curse.
Going back to the turn of the 20th century, the diamond was in the possession of a Russian heir named Princess Nadia Vygin-Orlov; the source of the black diamond's name, which was bestowed after a much later incident from where the legend is born.
During the 1917 Russian revolution, Princess Nadia fled Russia to the safety of Rome, Italy, as did many Russian royals at the time. It was some time later; December 2nd 1947 to be precise, some 15 years after the tragic death of J.W. Paris, when Princess Nadia leaped to her death from a building in central Rome, in what was believed to have been a suicide. At the time of her death the Princess was the wife of a Russian jeweler, but little more is known about the circumstances of her death.
Only one month previous to Princess Nadia's death, another member of Russian royalty, Princess Leonila Viktorovna-Bariatinsky had leaped to her death, in what again was believed to have been a suicide. At the time of her death, Princess Leonila was married to Royal Navy Officer Prince Andre Glinstine, but no further details are available about her life at the time of her fatal jump, although it was later discovered that previous to her death she had been the owner of this now infamous precious stone, the Black Orlov Diamond.