Origin of name
The Archduke Joseph diamond gets its name from Archduke
Joseph August (1872-1962), a onetime owner of the diamond, who was a prince
of the Hungarian line of the Hapsburg dynasty.
Characteristics of the
diamond
The Archduke Joseph diamond is a 76.45-carat, D-color,
internally flawless diamond, with a rectangular cushion-cut. The diamond has
all the distinguishing features of the best Golconda diamonds, flawless,
with a high internal clarity, and perfectly colorless nature, giving it a
D-color GIA certification.
Being a D-color diamond, the Archduke Joseph is a Type
IIa diamond, which are said to be chemically pure and structurally perfect
diamonds. They are also known as the "purest of the pure" of all diamonds.
However they constitute only about 1-2 % of all naturally occurring
diamonds. These diamonds do not have any features that can impart color to
the diamonds. These features are :- 1) Presence of impurities such as
nitrogen, boron and hydrogen. 2) Structural deformities in the crystal which
can change it's absorption spectrum. 3) Exposure to natural irradiation that
cause a green color in diamonds. Only a few diamonds in nature can escape
all these conditions. Thus the low percentage of their occurrence. In fact
almost 98 % of all naturally occurring diamonds contain nitrogen as
impurity, and are known as Type I diamonds.
Early history
The diamond no doubt is of Indian origin, but it is not
known exactly how the Archduke came to own the diamond. Archduke Joseph was
a descendant of Emperor Leopold II, son of Empress Maria Theresa (1740-80),
the Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and Bohemia. Empress Maria
Theresa was the owner of the famous Florentine diamond, a large light yellow
Indian diamond, which was one of the most notable and unique diamonds in
history.
Empress Maria Theresa was a key figure in the power
politics of the 18th century. She was considered as one of the most capable
rulers of the Hapsburg dynasty. She was the eldest daughter of the Holy
Roman Emperor Charles VI and Elizabeth of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel. Following
the death of his only son, Charles VI promulgated the Pragmatic Sanction, a
royal act, which entitled a female child to succeed to the domains of the
Hapsburgs. This act was eventually recognized by most European powers. In
1736, Maria Theresa married Francis Stephen of Lorraine, who later became
the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I (1745-65). The couple were blessed with 16
children, 10 of whom survived to adulthood.
In October 1740, when Charles VI died, Maria Theresa
ascended the throne as the Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary and
Bohemia. Upon her accession, the war of Austrian Succession (1740-48)
erupted, challenging the inheritance of the Hapsburg lands. The courage with
which Maria Theresa conducted the affairs of her domain during these early
turbulent years had astounded most European Governments of this period.
Subsequently, Maria Theresa went on to rule for 40 years, going down in
history as the most capable ruler of the Hapsburg dynasty.
In the year 1765, after the death of Francis I, Joseph
II, Francis I and Maria Theresa's son, was elected as Holy Roman Emperor,
and shared power with his mother as co-ruler. After Maria Theresa's death in
1780, Joseph II succeeded her as the sole Emperor and continued the reform
policies introduced by her mother. He also carried out several
administrative reforms and improved the position of the peasants. Joseph II
died in 1790 and was succeeded by Leopold II, third son of Maria Theresa who
had previously served as Duke of Tuscany for 25 years, since 1765. He
continued with the policies that emancipated the peasantry and granted
increased religious liberty to the non-Catholics. He also restored the
ancient constitution of Hungary and made it a wholly independent kingdom.
However Leopold II's rule was very short and lasted only two years.
Modern history
Archduke Joseph was the eldest son of Duke Joseph Carl
Ludwig, a descendant of Leopold II. He is also known as Joseph of Alcsut. He
married Augusta in 1893, a grand-daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph, and the
daughter of Prince Leopold of Bavaria. In the year 1902 he enlisted in the
Hungarian territorial reserve, which was the beginning of an illustrious
military career. In the same year he enrolled simultaneously as a student of
Law in the Budapest University. When the Emperor Franz Joseph died, Archduke
Joseph was appointed as commander of the Hungarian frontline forces, during
world war I. In this capacity he was responsible for the re-capture of the
eastern part of Siebenburgen and also initiating negotiations for a
ceasefire. Emperor Charles I appointed him as Regent of Hungary in October
1918, but his efforts in forming a Government proved futile due to the onset
of the October 31st revolution. Immediately after this he retired to his
Alcsut Estate.
During the so-called "Traitor Republic" Archduke Joseph
was kept under surveillance, while remaining at Alcsut, due to his
popularity in the country. However in August of 1919, he succeeded in
regaining his post as the Regent of Hungary, but was compelled to vacate
office abruptly after two months, as his appointment would not meet with the
approval of the allied forces, who were very keen in not allowing a Hapsburg
to hold any commanding position in Hungary. Subsequently in the year 1944,
he emigrated to the United States, but returned later to Europe to live with
his sister, Princess Margaret von Thurn. During this period he wrote and
published several memoirs and historical studies. After the restoration of
the upper house of the Hungarian Diet he was appointed as one of it's
members. Archduke Joseph died in the year 1962.
Joseph Francis (1895-1957) the son of Archduke Joseph
inherited the famous diamond from his father. It is on record that on June
1st 1933, the diamond was deposited with the Hungarian General Credit Bank
in the presence of a State Counselor. However about 3 years later the
diamond was sold to an European banker who kept it in a safe deposit box in
France during world war II and thus escaped the attention of the Nazis.
The stone had mysteriously disappeared after this and
it's whereabouts unknown, until one day in June 1961, the stone came up for
auction in London. At that time the stone earned the reputation of being the
largest ever, fine quality, loose diamond, to be auctioned in Great Britain,
but the diamond had to be withdrawn from the sale when the maximum realized
£ 145,000 fell far short of the actual estimated value of the stone.
Subsequently a syndicate of Hatton Garden buyers made an unsuccessful bid to
purchase the diamond. Again in the year, 1993, the diamond was put up for
sale at a Christie's auction in Geneva and sold for
a record sum of $ 6,500,000.
The Archduke Joseph which is now the property of Molina
Fine Jewelers, Phoenix, Arizona, has been slightly re-cut from 78.54 carats
to 76.45 carats. Actress Laura Harring caused a sensation at the Oscars held
in April 2002, when she wore a necklace featuring the $ 25 million Archduke
Joseph diamond, belonging to Molina Fine Jewelers. Again Celine Dion in her
televised comeback special, aired on CBS, on April 7, 2002, wore a necklace
created by Molina Fine Jewelers, which included the 76.45 carat Archduke
Joseph and 57 other millennium diamonds having a total weight of 73.15
carats, and designed in such a way that the Archduke Joseph diamond could be
inserted or removed.
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