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The yellow Tiffany diamond

Der gelbe Tiffany Diamant The yellow Tiffany diamond in the Bird on the Rock brooch (1)

The Tiffany Diamond – a very large golden yellow gemstone

The rough diamond from which the yellow Tiffany was cut had a remarkable weight of 287.42 carats. It was found in a mine in South Africa in 1878, a time when no one had ever seen a yellow diamond of this size.
The diamond got its name because it was purchased for $18,000 by CL Tiffany, the owner of Tiffany & Co.

The mineralogist George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932) was commissioned to cut the diamond and he carefully considered his approach. He opted for a cushion cut with a particularly differentiated faceting. In order to have as little loss in size as possible, he added 90 facets instead of the usual 58 - this made the cut Tiffany diamond 128.51 carats. It is said that this shape, which deviates greatly from the ideal dimensions, creates a muted rather than brilliant appearance. GF Kunz justified this by saying that it was much more in keeping with the color of the Tiffany diamond, which is often described as yellow gold or canary yellow.

The Tiffany Diamond and its Popularity

Two women have so far had the opportunity to adorn themselves with the fascinating diamond. Mrs. Sheldom Whitehouse wore it on a necklace made of white diamonds at a Tiffany Ball in Rhode Island in 1957. The famous actress Audrey Hepburn was photographed with the Tiffany diamond in the 1961 film Breakfast At Tiffany's.

In many pictures, the yellow Tiffany diamond can be seen in the form of the Bird on the Rock brooch, which was designed by the jeweler Jean Schlumberger and in which the gemstone is still integrated today.

The Tiffany Diamond has been shown at numerous major exhibitions over the years, for example at the Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893 or at the anniversary celebration of the Kimberley Mine in South Africa in 1971. Otherwise, the Tiffany Diamond could be admired in the window of the jewelry store of the same name in London.

(1) Image source: Wikipedia, Author: Shipguy

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