Yellow
Diamonds get their color from nitrogen being present at the time
they are formed. The hues can range from pale sunshine yellow
to bright canary yellow and from champagne to amber hues.
This
lovely yellow diamond camellia flower brooch was made to celebrate
150 years of Chanel
Jewelry. It is comprised of 934 tiny yellow diamonds and the
camellia flower is a favorite theme in Chanel Fine Jewelry.
The
Sancy Diamond
The
most famous yellow diamond is The Sancy. This exceptional 55 carat,
light yellow diamond fluoresces yellow and pink. But it is the
history of the diamond that makes it famous. It is believed that
the Sancy originally came from India and rumored that in 1477
the diamond was lost on a field of battle by Charles, Duke of
Burgundy. What is known is the first verified owner, Nicholas
Harlai of Sancy, who purchased it in the late 1500's while in
Constantinople. It was from this French Ambassador that the stone
got it's name.
The
Sancy Diamond has been loaned to the French Kings Henry III and
Henry IV, sold to the English Crown and then sold back to the
French Crown by James II. It has been used to raise money for
war, lost for an unpaid loan, bought by a Cardinal, willed to
the French Crown and stolen in a great heist of the French Crown
jewels. Later it was a part of the Napoleon court, purchased by
a Bombay merchant, shown at the 1867 Paris Exhibition, and in
1906 came to America to be worn by Lady Astor in a wedding tiara.
In 1978, the Astor family sold the Sancy Diamond, returning it
to France again. It is now in the Louvre.
***
The Tiffany Diamond
This 287 carat, golden yellow diamond was found in South Africa
in in 1887. It was bought by Tiffany Jewelers for $18,000, who
had it cut as a brilliant 90 facet, 128 cushion cut to highlight
it's exceptional beauty.
Over
the years Tiffany has displayed the diamond for the worlds viewing
pleasure. It has traveled to many expositions, the 100 year celebration
of the Kimberly Mine, as well as the World's Fair of 1939. In
1957 it was set into a diamond necklace for the occasion of the
Tiffany Ball. It has also been worn by Audrey Hepburn for the
movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's. Then in the 1960 the yellow diamond
was fashioned into an art piece, Bird on a Rock. The famous jeweler
still owns The Tiffany Yellow Diamond and it can be viewed at
New York's 5th
Avenue Tiffany.
***
Recently
the Hollywood celebrities have taken a shine to yellow diamonds.
From the Tom Cruise - Katie Holmes engagement ring to Elton John's
25 carat yellow diamond ring.
Some
of the stars ablaze in yellow diamonds at the 2005 Academy Awards
Red Carpet: Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Mary Hart and Kathy
Griffin.
Probably
one of the most unique uses of yellow diamonds is the million
dollar watch owned by pop star Usher.
His
portrait is on the face and done with over 1000 tiny yellow diamonds.
