Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Hortensia Diamond

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Leslie Hedrick

How do famous gems and beaded jewelry pieces get their names? Many are named after their owners, or after a famous place or incident. The Hortensia Diamond was named after Hortense de Beauharnais, a French woman who led an adventurous and illustrious life… but she never owned the Hortensia Diamond. There’s no record of her having even worn it!

So why is the Hortensia Diamond named after her?

Hortense was the daughter of a Parisian Vicomte. Her parents’ marriage was unhappy, and ended in divorce. Hortense and her mother, Marie Rose Josephe Tascher de la Pagerie (say that one three times fast!), lost their social standing and most of their possessions, including their beaded jewelry, and moved back in with Marie Rose’s parents on the island of Martinique.

They may have gotten out just in time. Hortense’s father didn’t survive the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution.

After enough time passed, Marie Rose (who now went by the name of Josephine) and Hortense moved back to Paris, and began to make a name for themselves once again in French society. Josephine caught the eye of the already famous general Napoleon Bonaparte, who lavished her with gifts of beaded jewelry, and married her.

This made Hortense Napoleon’s step-daughter. When Napoleon became Emperor, he also came into ownership of the French Crown Jewels, including the 20.53 carat Hortensia Diamond. Maybe the flat, peach-pink stone was named after the girl during this time, due to her love of gems and beaded jewelry.

Hortense married Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother. In 1806, Napoleon appointed Louis as King of Holland, making Hortense the country’s queen.

In this picture, we see Hortense bedecked in beaded jewelry and a tiara. But even as Queen of Holland, when she had a treasure trove of gems and beaded jewelry, she had no direct connection to the Hortensia Diamond.

These were tumultuous years for Hortense. She and her husband were so unhappy that, like her mother, she eventually divorced. This happened during Napoleon’s exile on Elba. Divorced or not, Hortense remained politically active, and when Napoleon escaped exile, she supported his return to power.

When Napoleon failed, Hortense was punished for supporting him with exile from France. She wandered Europe for awhile, before settling in Switzerland in 1817.

Most scholars think the Hortensia Diamond was named after her between 1806 and 1817, but no one knows why. It’s just one of those unsolved mysteries surrounding famous gems and beaded jewelry!

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Curse of the Black Orlov Diamond

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Leslie Hedrick

Let’s add the Black Orlov Diamond to the growing list of gems and beaded jewelry rumored to be stolen from Indian statues. I’ve featured several others on this blog.

The Black Orlov is also known as the Eye of Brahma, since legend has it that a renegade monk stole it from a statue of Brahma. At the time it was 195 carats, before being cut down to 67.50 carats, faceted, and set in beaded jewelry.

The curse—if there is one—was probably set when the dark, gun-metal gray gem was stolen from the idol—if it was ever part of one!

The Black Orlov’s history is mysterious until 1932, when a European dealer of diamonds and beaded jewelry named J.W. Paris imported it to New York, where he was based. Not long after the gem arrived, J.W. Paris went to the top of one of the tallest buildings in Manhattan, and jumped to his death. Rumor has it that Paris left two letters, one to his wife and another to an associate in the beaded jewelry business, and that he was suffering from business anxieties. Whatever his reasons for taking his own life, it was the beginning of a trend involving the Black Orlov.

In the 1940’s, the Black Orlov Diamond was owned by Russian princess Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky. She was the wife of a Royal Naval officer. Maybe Princess Leonila detected some bad energy around the gem, but still wanted to keep it in the family, because it soon passed to another Russian princess, Nadia Vygin-Orlov, whom the Black Orlov is named for. This princess was married to a Russian purveyor of gems and beaded jewelry. Legend has it that both ladies jumped to their deaths within a month of one another in 1947. No one knows why.

Later in the 20^th century, Charles F. Winston bought the Black Orlov, cutting it into three pieces, hoping that this might break the curse. Maybe he succeeded, because the biggest chunk of the Black Orlov, set in a beaded jewelry necklace of 124 diamonds, hasn’t been connected with any more deaths.

In 2004, diamond dealer Dennis Petimezas purchased the Black Orlov. He’s “pretty confident that the curse is broken.” The diamond beaded jewelry has been worn by several high-profile figures, including celebrities like Felicity Huffman, who wore it to the Oscars.

Maybe we should keep our eyes on Felicity for suicidal building-jumping tendencies.

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Ruspoli Sapphire

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

SW Creations - Original Handcrafted Jewelry

The Ruspoli Sapphire, simple but beautiful.

Not every amazing gem is faceted, polished and set in beaded jewelry. We’ve already discussed the uncut Bahia Emerald, and the near-deadly, super-expensive battles surrounding its ownership. This month, let’s talk about the Ruspoli Sapphire—one of the most unique, priceless sapphires in the world.

The Ruspoli Sapphire may have come from India. Instead of faceting gems at multiple angles and setting them in beaded jewelry, Indian gem-cutters of the past sometimes kept things simple. The Ruspoli Sapphire was cut with only six sides, like a three-dimensional rectangle. It’s a remarkably transparent blue stone, and it’s almost flawless, weighing in at 135.8 carats. Some gem experts think the Ruspoli Sapphire’s characteristics actually point to an origin in Sri Lanka or Burma.

One way or another the stone did make its way to India. It was described by a 19^th century Bengali writer, Sourindro Mohun Tagore, who wrote that a poor wooden spoon seller from Bengal found it. For this reason, its first name is “The Wooden Spoon Seller’s Sapphire.”

After that it was owned by a beaded jewelry and gem collector, the Italian Prince Francesco Maria Ruspoli. That’s where its second name comes from.

But the stone has yet a third name—the “Great Sapphire of King Louis XIV.” King Louis bought the sapphire and kept it with his crown jewels, along with the French Blue and other priceless beaded jewelry.

During the French Revolution, the crown jewels were confiscated and put on display. The display was shut down during a wave of violence, but that didn’t prevent thieves from coming in to loot the gems and beaded jewelry. They made off with the French Blue and plenty of beaded jewelry, but they left the Ruspoli Sapphire. They probably didn’t believe it was worth much, due to its flat, unimpressive cut.

After Napoleon III fell, the new president of the third republic in France decided the crown jewels should be auctioned, so no one would get ideas about restoring the monarchy. Every gem and piece of beaded jewelry had to go, unless it had historical or educational value. The director of the Louvre was allowed to choose a few educational pieces to keep, and one of these included the Ruspoli Sapphire.

The Ruspoli Sapphire’s rhomboid cut has kept it safe, where other gems were stolen or auctioned to the highest bidder. Sometimes it pays to be simple!

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Orlov Diamond

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

The Orlov Diamond. Image from Bron: Diamonds.

Though it’s said to have come from India, like so many rare beaded jewelry pieces and gems, the Orlov Diamond’s story really takes place in Imperial Russia.

In the 18^th century, Grigory Orlov was quite the ladies’ man. He wasn’t of noble birth, or particularly well educated, but he was strong, handsome, and rich enough to give women expensive beaded jewelry whenever he liked. There came a time, however, when his eye fell on the wrong woman. Princess Kourakina was the mistress of one of Orlov’s colleagues, who was understandably upset at the affair. A great scandal ensued, which ended in a dual. Orlov killed his colleague, and never mind the damage to his reputation.

All this to-do attracted the attention of young Catherine, who was at that time only a Grand Duchess and Empress Consort, married to Peter III. She demanded to meet the rake Orlov, who could have any woman he wanted. It wasn’t long until they were lovers. That was when Catherine told him about her plans to take the throne from her husband. Orlov was intrigued, and when the time came, he organized and led the coup that dethroned her husband Peter. In return, she gave him a title, and he became Count Orlov.

Orlov was Catherine’s favorite counselor and confidant for many years. Over the course of their love affair, Orlov gave Catherine numerous gifts, included priceless gems, beaded jewelry, the throne of Russia, and a child.

But eventually, Catherine the Great turned her attentions to Grigory Alexandrovich Potemkin, and spurned Orlov.

He was devastated. He sought to win her back with gifts, like beaded jewelry. That’s when he came upon and purchased the enormous diamond that would eventually bear his name. He gave it to Catherine, but she couldn’t be bought back.

That didn’t mean she didn’t hold her former lover in high regard. She gave him as many gifts as he gave her—beaded jewelry, a marble palace in St. Petersburg, a title. She also named the diamond after him, and had it set in a beaded jewelry setting at the top of a royal scepter. A fitting place for the symbol of the man who helped her take the throne.

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Bahia Emerald

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

The Bahia Emerald is embedded in granite. Image from TheBahiaEmerald.com.

The story of the Bahia Emerald isn’t one of women flaunting dazzling beaded jewelry, but of Las Vegas heists and near blood baths in the desert. It is the largest emerald stone ever found, and the single largest emerald crystal ever discovered in embedded in rock. It weighs 840 pounds. That’s about 1,900,000 carats. It’s worth about $400 million. Chump change, right?

After it was found in Brazil, it exchanged hands several times between gem and beaded jewelry custodians, until it wound up stored in New Orleans—at exactly the wrong time. During its short stay in a secure warehouse vault, Hurricane Katrina swept in and devastated the city. The Bahia Emerald was submerged with other beaded jewelry beneath 16 feet of water for two full months.

It was decided to move the Bahia Emerald back to California, and here’s where its history gets a little hazier than other famous beaded jewelry pieces. We know about certain incidents involving the Bahia Emerald, but we can’t be sure as to their exact timeline, or what exactly happened.

There has never been a successful, simple sale of the Bahia Emerald. Bernie Madoff attempted to purchase it for about $197,000,000, but was arrested before the deal closed. A well-known Columbian family also tried to purchase it, but the transaction went wrong and almost ended very violently. It brings to mind Hollywood scenes involving women in silk dresses and beaded jewelry, and stoic guards with big guns and slick suits!

Had enough Hollywood yet? The Bahia Emerald was reported stolen in a heist! Around Christmas of 2008, Lt. Grubb of the L.A.P.D. went on a mission to retrieve it, telling his team, “We’re going to stop on the way and get breakfast. We’re going to pick up a $400 million piece of evidence. On the way back, we’re not stopping.”

No criminal charges were ever placed and no arrests were ever made. The person who reported the Bahia Emerald as stolen in the first place quickly backed away from the case after his life was threatened.

Presently, the Bahia Emerald still lives with the Los Angeles sheriff’s department. There are a number of parties claiming ownership of the Bahia Emerald, including gem dealers and beaded jewelry merchants. Court battles are underway, but many people believe the judge could never come to a good decision, since all those involved have dubious claims.

It’s unlikely the stone will ever be turned into beaded jewelry, since its value lies in its size.

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Flame Queen Opal

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

The Flame Queen Opal from two angles. Image from Wikipedia.

Australia’s Lightning Ridge region is known as the black opal capital of the world, and has produced thousands of opals for beaded jewelry, as well as loose stones. But the most famous opal it ever produced has to be the Flame Queen Opal.

Back in the early 20^th century, a miner in Lightning Ridge abandoned his claim in order to fight in WW1. The claim was soon taken over by three down-luck miners. For three weeks they dug in the earth, surviving on bread and water, hoping to strike it rich. When they got down to about 30 feet, they struck a hard black nodule. Only when they brought it into the sunlight did they realize what they had found.

One of the miners was very skilled in working beaded jewelry and polishing gems. The other two trusted him to bring out the beauty of the Flame Queen Opal, and he didn’t disappoint.

The Flame Queen Opal is a “red-on-black” opal, and has often been referred to as a “fried egg.” This is because the center of the opal filled in a deeper cavity, resulting in a different coloration. Depending on the light and the angle at which it’s viewed, the “yolk” of the Flame Queen Opal looks red, orange, bronze or yellow. The outer band is a beautiful blue or green, again depending on the angle it’s viewed at. It’s never been set in beaded jewelry, and may be too big for delicate beaded jewelry settings to comfortably hold. At 263 carats and three inches across, it can fill the palm of a hand.

The Flame Queen Opal also has a possible fossil on the back. Some Australian geologists believe there’s an imprint of what might be a ginkgo biloba leaf in the veiny patterns on the back. An ancient tree may have existed on the site.

Unfortunately, by the time they found it, the three miners were so desperately hungry, they didn’t have time to hold out for a suitable buyer. They sold the Flame Queen Opal to a local dealer of opals and beaded jewelry for only £93, about $150 in the U.S. That’s got to rank as one of the greatest rip-offs, or one of the greatest deals, of all time—depending on which angle you view it from!

The Flame Queen Opal has been sold at several beaded jewelry and gem auctions, and is now in private ownership.

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby is one of the largest star rubies in the world. Image from the Smithsonian.

Do you believe that special stones and beaded jewelry can bring you good luck? Many people do. Star rubies, in particular, were often treasured by knights, who believed the jewels kept them safe on the battlefield. Some stories from India say the power of a star ruby can drain an enemy’s courage, especially if it’s worn on a crown or headdress, or as a beaded jewelry pendant.

One man, Rosser Reeves, came into possession of a rare Sri Lankan star ruby in the 1950s, which weighed a full 140 carats. However, the stone was heavily scratched. Bringing out its full beauty unfortunately polished away a few carats, and the final stone weighed 138.7 carats—which still places it among the largest star rubies in the world.

Reeves never had the ruby set in beaded jewelry, but carried the stone around with him everywhere, saying it was his baby and the source of all his fortune. He may have been right! Rosser Reeves was an advertising mogul. No doubt the memorable tales of Reeves’s star ruby lingered in many a high-end client’s mind. Maybe he really believed the star ruby brought him luck, but it’s just as likely he carried it around as an advertising trick!

Star gems are some of the only ones that actually depend on small inclusions (imperfections) of rutile, which is like silk. It’s these silk-like strands that catch the light in such a glorious way, creating a perfect six-pointed star that moves on the surface of the cabochon when it’s turned in the light. This is called an “asterism.” Star rubies are becoming rare, both as loose stones and in beaded jewelry, because their richest lands of origin, like Burma and Vietnam, have been over mined, and most stones today are faceted instead of cut into cabochons.

The Rosser Reeves Star Ruby was never placed in a beaded jewelry setting. Reeves donated it to the Smithsonian in 1965, where it remains to this day.

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Star of Africa

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

The Star of Africa is the second largest faceted diamond in the world.

The story of the Star of Africa starts with the largest diamond crystal ever found. It came from a South African mine in 1905. The crystal weighed about 1 1/3 pounds, and was 3,106 carats. It was dubbed “The Cullinan,” after the owner of the mine. The entire Cullinan was sold to the Transvaal government in the Republic of South Africa.

What do you give the King of England on his birthday? He’s already got plenty of beaded jewelry and gems. The largest uncut diamond in the world should be perfect. In 1907, the Cullinan went to Edward VII, insured for a whopping $1,250,000.

Although King Edward had a vast collection of diamonds and beaded jewelry in the Crown Jewels, it was hard to deny the Cullinan was something very special. He entrusted it to Asscher’s Diamond Company in Amsterdam, which had a reputation for cutting special gems for beaded jewelry settings.

Despite his experience, Mr. Asscher was intimidated by the job. He spent a full six months just examining the stone, trying to figure out the best place to cut it. The story goes that when he finally placed a heavy-duty cleaver in a small notch in the stone and thunked it with a hammer, nothing happened. When he tried again, the stone broke where he wanted, but Mr. Asscher was so stressed by the situation that he fainted.

In the end, the Cullinan produced nine massive gems. The stone also yielded 95 smaller gems and 9.5 carats worth of unpolished diamond stone. Some of the gems, especially the smaller ones, were set in beaded jewelry arrangements, but the largest stone—which weighs 530.20 carats—found a home with the Crown Jewels in the Sovereign’s Royal Sceptre. From that point on, it’s been known as the Star of Africa.

The other major stones have been worn by royalty in beaded jewelry, crowns, tiaras, pendants and other ornaments. The Star of Africa is the second largest faceted diamond in existence, superceded only by the Golden Jubilee.

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: The Curse of the Amber Room

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

An amber sigil from the replicated Amber Room.

Earlier in my series about gems and beaded jewelry, I wrote about the Amber Room. If you missed that story, you can check it out here, but you don’t have to read that post to understand this one.

The Amber Room was an entire room made of amber panels and beaded jewelry. During WWII, it was stolen from Russia by the Germans, who installed it in a Kaliningrad museum. When things began to look bad for the Germans, the director of the museum crated up the Amber Room, with all its accompanying ornaments and beaded jewelry, for safekeeping. The city was bombed soon after, and the Amber Room was never found.

Its disappearance has inspired an army of independent treasure hunters, gemologists and beaded jewelry enthusiasts. One panel, bedecked with a beaded jewelry mosaic celebrating the five sense, even turned up in Germany in 1997. But seek the Amber Room at your own risk! It’s said to carry a curse. Many people who have dealt with it have met untimely deaths.

The German museum director, Alfred Rohde, was so entranced by the Amber Room, he would sit staring at the glowing beaded jewelry panels for hours. Later, the KGB questioned him about its fate, but he wasn’t talking. One night he and his wife suddenly “died” from an attack of “typhus.” However, when the Russians went to see the bodies, they had disappeared.

One Russian intelligence officer served as a source for a journalist who was investigating the room. Not long after, he died in terrible car crash.

Georg Stein is perhaps the most convincing—and frightening—case for the Amber Room curse. He was a dedicated amber room hunter. One day he was found dead in the middle of a Bavarian forest. He was naked, and his stomach had been opened with a scalpel. Yikes!

Ivan Sautov, the current director of the Russian Catherine Palace museum, doesn’t like to indulge in theories. But even Sautov has said, “The people who have concealed the Amber Room may be members of a closed circle, and anyone who comes too close to this circle will die.” Perhaps George Stein was getting a little too close to his goal.

The Amber Room certainly sounds like a prize worth chasing, but I think I’ll stick to beaded jewelry for now!

Famous Gems and Beaded Jewelry: La Peregrina

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Leslie Hedrick

La Peregrina in its present beaded jewelry setting, with diamonds and rubies backing it up.

In the mid-1500s, an African slave working in the Gulf of Panama found the largest, most lustrous pearl ever discovered. The administrator of the Spanish colony in Panama took the pearl, but rewarded the slave with freedom.The pearl was given to Philip II of Spain, who gave it to his fiancé Mary Tudor of England. Mary wore the pearl as beaded jewelry, in a brooch. We still have a painting of her looking stern and royal, but well decked out in her gowns and beaded jewelry.Mary died in 1558, and the pearl went back to Spain. It was a favorite beaded jewelry piece for the Spanish queen consorts for about 250 years. We see it in paintings of Elisabeth of France and Mariana of Austria, the two queens of Philip IV.

In 1808, Joseph Bonaparte—Napoleon’s big brother—became king of Spain. After about five years he was forced to flee the country, but not without taking some expensive beaded jewelry and one rare pearl from the crown jewels! It was around this time that someone noticed the pearl had been passed around quite a bit. It earned the name “La Peregrina,” which means “The Pilgrim,” or “The Wanderer.”

And the Pilgrim’s journey continued! From Joseph it went to Louis-Napoleon (his nephew), who sold it to James Hamilton (Duke of Abercorn). The Hamiltons held onto it until 1969, when they auctioned it through Sotheby’s, and Richard Burton bought it for Elizabeth Taylor. We still have many photos of Taylor wearing the pearl as a beaded jewelry pendant, looking like royalty.

La Peregrina has a free spirit. It even liked to disappear from its owners from time to time. The Hamiltons lost the pearl twice when it fell out of its beaded jewelry setting—once in Windsor Castle, and again in Buckingham Palace. It fell out of its setting around Elizabeth Taylor’s neck too. She nearly had a heart attack until she found one of her puppies playing with it under her bed.

I’ve heard it said that gems have no owners, only temporary keepers they choose to share their energy with for awhile. La Peregrina is a perfect example of such a wandering stone.

Elizabeth Taylor in the famous La Peregrina necklace.

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