Origin of name
The Conde Pink Diamond also known as the Conde Diamond or Le Grand Conde gets its name from Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince of Conde, and the Commander of the French Army, who was presented the diamond as a token of appreciation by King Louis XIII of France in 1643, for the several successful military victories that were achieved on his behalf.
© Giraudon, Paris
Characteristics of the diamond
The Conde Pink diamond is a light pink, pear-shaped diamond weighing 9.01 carats.
The diamond is most probably a Type IIa diamond, which are nitrogen free, and free of all chemical impurities. However, the pink color is caused by the structural distortion of the crystals, due to the twisting and bending of the tetrahedral crystal units as the diamonds rose up from the earth's mantel to the surface. The distorted areas in the crystal changes the absorption spectrum of the diamond, causing the pink color. Thus the Conde Pink diamond is a plastically deformed Type IIa diamond.
In the list of famous pink diamonds, the Conde Pink occupies the last position, being only 9.01 carats in weight, but in terms of historical significance the diamond surpasses most other pink diamonds, as it has a history dating back to the mid-17th century.
List of famous pink diamonds
| S/No |
Name |
Carat Weight |
Color |
| 1 |
Darya-i-Nur |
186 |
light pink |
| 2 |
Nur-ul-Ain |
60 |
light pink |
| 3 |
Steinmetz pink |
59.60 |
fancy vivid pink |
| 4 |
Shah Jahaan |
56.71 |
light pink |
| 5 |
Agra |
32.34 |
fancy light pink |
| 6 |
Pink Sunrise |
29.79 |
fancy pink |
| 7 |
Rose of Dubai |
25.02 |
fancy pink |
| 8 |
Mouawad Lilac |
24.44 |
fancy purplish pink |
| 9 |
Williamson Pink |
23.56 |
fancy pink |
| 10 |
Graff Pink Orchid |
22.84 |
fancy purplish pink |
| 11 |
Mouawad Pink |
21.06 |
fancy pink |
| 12 |
Hortensia |
20.00 |
light orange pink |
| 13 |
Graff Pink Supreme |
10.83 |
fancy pink |
| 14 |
Conde Pink |
9.01 |
light pink |
History
The Conde Pink diamond being a mid-17th century diamond, most probably originated in the famous Kollur mines, near Golconda, in Andhra Pradesh in Southern India, the only source of pink diamonds in the world during this period. The Darya-i-Nur, the Nur-ul-Ain, Shah Jahaan and Agra are the other famous pink diamonds that are believed to have originated in the same mines.
The diamond most probably entered the French court, through Jean Baptiste Tavernier, the famous traveler and diamond dealer, who had dealings with King Louis XIV and probably with his predecessor King Louis XIII.
The Conde Pink diamond, also known as the Conde diamond or the Grand Conde diamond (Le Grande Conde), was purported to have been presented to Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince of Conde, and the the Commander of the French Army, as a token of appreciation for several successive military victories associated with the 30-year war. But, the chronology of events during this period do not seem to support this contention, but instead favors King Louis XIV, the successor of King Louis XIII as the French Monarch who made this gesture of appreciation.
King Louis XIII of France
Louis II de Bourbon, the Great Conde previously known as Duc d' Enghien was born in 8th September 1621 in Paris, to parents who descended from the House of Bourbon. He was the eldest son of Henry II de Bourbon. the 3rd Prince of Conde. Having completed his education at the age of 15 years, studying under the Jesuit priests for six years, and later studying mathematics and horsemanship at the Royal Academy at Paris, he was presented to King Louis XIII, by his father, in January 1636. He later joined the army and had his first experience of combat in July 1640. As head of the Royal Army, Louis II de Bourbon won his first great victory over the Spaniards at Rocroi on May 19, 1643. This was the greatest French victory for a century, and without any doubt due mainly to his capabilities as a great commander. King Louis XIII, did not live to see the great victory of Louis II de Bourbon, as he died of tuberculosis just 5 days before the great victory on May 14, 1643. Therefore the above version of King Louis XIII presenting the Conde pink diamond to Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince of Conde, for his great victories does not hold any ground. In fact most of the greatest victories achieved by the great Conde, came after the death of King Louis XIII.
The victory at Rocroi was followed by other successes, in the area of the Rhine, at Thionville and Sierck, at Freiburg, Philippsburg, Mainz, and Nordlingen. He also conducted a brilliant campaign in Flanders.
King Louis XIV of France
King Louis XIII was succeeded by his son Louis XIV, who was barely 5 years old at the time. The Queen mother acted as Regent until the King came of age. Louis XIV was just 9 years old, when the nobles and the parliament rose against the Crown in 1648, due to the unpopularity of the Prime Minister Cardinal Jules Mazarin. During the period of instability, that was associated with the long civil war that followed, known as the Fronde, Conde was imprisoned by Jules Mazarin and released after 13 months by his friends who launched the second war of the Fronde, which led to Mazarin's voluntary exile. Conde eventually defected to the enemies, the Spaniards, who appointed him as Generalissimo. He conducted several campaigns against the French army for 4 years, but was finally defeated at the Battle of Dunes on June 14, 1658. Conde returned to Paris, after the Peace of the Pyrennes was signed in 1659, and was received by King Louis XIV, on January 27, 1660. Since then he became a loyal and humble subject of the King.
Eventually in 1668, Conde was again appointed the Commander of the Army, that attacked the Spanish-held Franche-Comte, and Conde took Artois, Besancon, Dole, and Gray in 15 days. His brilliant military successes continued until 1675. Most of the military successes achieved by King Louis XIV, between 1660 and 1675, could be attributed to the Great Conde's successes as a brilliant military commander. Thus in all probability it was King Louis XIV, who presented the Conde Pink diamond to the Grand Conde.
Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince of Conde
Louis II de Bourbon, the Great Conde, had the diamond mounted on the pommel of his walking stick. The diamond remained the property of the Conde family until 1892, when Duc d' Aumale bequeathed it to the French Government. Today it is on display in the Musee de Conde in Chantilly, in France, where it will continue to remain according to the Duke's will. The diamond was stolen from the museum on October 11th, 1926, but later recovered and restored. However, as a security precaution, the diamond that is on display now, is not the original diamond, but only a perfect replica of the original.
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