Origin of name
The origin of the 88-carat black Korloff Noir diamond is
shrouded in mystery, but according to legend seems to have originated in
Russia, and owned by several generations of the Karloff-Sapozhnikov family, from whom the diamond
gets its name. The present owners of the diamond are the Korloff Jewelers
of France, founded in 1978, who took the name of their company from
the diamond.
Characteristics of the
diamond
The Korloff Noir is an 88-carat, round-cut, black
diamond, with the standard 57 facets. In the list of famous black diamonds the Korloff Noir occupies
the 5th position. See table below.
Black diamonds also known as Carbonado are different from
conventional diamonds in respect of origin, structure, composition, and also
distribution. A comparison of the characteristics of the two types of
diamonds are given below.
List of famous black
diamonds
|
S/N |
Name |
carat weight |
shape/cut |
|
1 |
The Spirit of Grisogono |
312.24 |
old moghul-cut |
|
2 |
The Black Star of Africa |
202.00 |
|
|
3 |
The Table of Islam |
160.18 |
emerald-cut |
|
4 |
The Gruosi diamond |
115.34 |
heart-shaped |
|
5 |
The Korloff Noir |
88.00 |
standard round-cut |
|
6 |
The Black Orlov |
67.50 |
cushion-cut |
|
7 |
The Amsterdam |
33.74 |
pear-shaped |
History
The origin of this 88-carat black diamond is not exactly
known, but according to legend seems to have originated in Russia, and
eventually came to be owned by several generations of a Russian noble family, by the name of Karloff-Sapozhnikov,
who lived in St. Petersburg. According to legend, the Korloff diamond brings
happiness, luck and prosperity to any person who has the privilege of
touching it.
The original rough diamond is said to have weighed 421 carats,
but the final product was only 88 carats in weight,
resulting in an enormous loss of 333 carats. Such enormous losses are quite
common in black diamonds as one usually comes across porous material that
are fragile and difficult to work with. The Spirit of de Grisogono diamond
which originally weighed 587 carats, weighed only 312.24 carats after
processing, resulting in a loss of 274.76 carats. The Gruosi diamond which
weighed 300.12 carats in the rough, weighed 115.34 carats when finished,
resulting in a loss of 184.78 carats. Likewise the Black Orlov diamond that
weighed 195 carats in the rough weighed only 67.50 carats when finished,
resulting in a loss of 127.50 carats.
The diamond is believed to have been sold by the Karloff
family in the 1920s, to a diamond dealer, probably from Paris. A lot of
jewels and jewelry belonging to the Russian nobility eventually found their
way to the jewelry dealing firms of Paris, after the Bolshevik Revolution of
1917. After five decades, in the 1970s
the Korloff diamond was purchased by the present owner of the diamond, the
French jeweler, Daniel Paillasseur, who in 1978 founded a jewelry company
and decided to name it after this diamond, whose magic and mystery had
always fascinated him. Today the black Korloff diamond has
become the soul and symbol of Korloff Jewelers, a company based in Lyon,
France, with a world wide network of import agents, multi-brand dealers,
partner shops, and company's own retail outlets, marketing designer jewelry,
Swiss watches, haute couture, and accessories. Within the last 29 years the
company has grown into a mighty international jewelry empire, with 45
exclusive boutiques worldwide and more than 450 points of sale. Perhaps, the
legendary diamond owned by the company seems to have had a beneficial effect
on the company, leading to its phenomenal growth within this short period
!!!
Introduction of new
diamond cut known as Korloff-cut
Korloff Jewelers introduced a new diamond cut to the
industry recently, known as the Korloff-cut, the ultimate result of many
years of research and calculations. This is an exceptional octagonal diamond
cut with 65 facets, 41 of which are on the crown and the remaining 24 on the
pavilion. The advantage of this cut is that it enhances the brilliance and
glitter of diamonds, because it allows as much light as possible to
penetrate the heart of the stone. All diamonds produced by the company, of
whatever size, conform to this new scientific cut, and the company is
determined towards its perpetuation and popularization worldwide.
Public displays of the
Korloff Noir diamond
The Korloff Noir diamond has been exhibited on several
occasions in different countries of the world to coincide with the opening
of Korloff sales outlets or boutiques.
The diamond was displayed on the first three days of the
Jewelry Arabia Exhibition, held at the Bahrain International Exhibition
Center, in October, 2003, to mark the 10th anniversary of Jawaher Asil
Company, the Bahraini agents for Korloff Jewellers.
The diamond was exhibited at the second Haute Joaillerie
Fair held at the Beirut's Phoenicia Inter-Continental Hotel, in November
2003.
The diamond was again exhibited on December 18, 2003, at
Moscow's prestigious trade center, "Crocus City Mall," in connection with
the opening of Korloff Paris boutique in Moscow. The diamond was said to be
insured for $ 37 million, and was presented by Russia's famous figure skater
Marina Anisina, the official face of the Korloff Company in Russia. The
diamond was transported from France to Russia, by special air plane
accompanied by armed guards and representatives of the Korloff Company. From
the Moscow airport the diamond was carried to the Crocus City Mall in a
special bulletproof car, followed by a helicopter from above until the
diamond reached its destination. The Korloff Diamond was exhibited inside a
bulletproof glass case, under the constant supervision of armed security
guards.
Korloff Paris opened its first boutique in the United
States, at the Gateway in Salt Lake City, Utah, in March 2007, but the
official grand opening of this flagship boutique was held on November 23rd
and 24th, 2007. To mark this occasion the 88-carat Korloff Noir diamond was
specially flown in from Paris, under tight security precautions. The diamond
was escorted by police in an armored vehicle from the Salt Lake City
International Airport, to the Korloff boutique, at the Gateway. The diamond
was displayed to the public on November 24, 2007, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
inside a bulletproof glass case under constant watch by armed security
guards.
Mystique of the Korloff
Noir diamond
According to legend the Korloff diamond brings luck, joy,
and prosperity to any one who has the privilege of touching it. The
excellent performance of Pete Sampras in tennis, and the achievements of
Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov in the world of chess, are attributed to
the touching of the diamond. Likewise the Russian figure skater Alexey
Yagudin who had the privilege of touching the lucky stone, struck gold at
the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City. Marina Anisina, the Russian
figure skater, is said to be another lucky person who had the privilege of
touching the diamond.
Comparison of
characteristics of conventional diamonds and black diamonds
|
S/N |
CONVENTIONAL DIAMONDS |
BLACK DIAMONDS |
|
1 |
Exist usually as single large crystals, formed by the build up of giant
molecules. |
Polycrystalline, made up of large numbers of minute crystals stuck
together. |
|
2 |
Non-porous, and have a classic crystal structure. |
They are porous in nature, similar to pumice formed from larva. |
|
3 |
No gases are present inside the crystals |
Gases like nitrogen and hydrogen are found inside the porous material. |
|
4 |
Formed deep inside the earth's mantle under high pressure and
temperature conditions. |
They are not formed deep inside the earth. |
|
5 |
Found in Lamproite and Kimberlite pipes, and alluvial deposits. |
Found only in alluvial deposits. |
|
6 |
They are the hardest substances on earth. |
They are harder than conventional diamonds, and difficult to cut and
polish |
|
7 |
There are cleavage planes in the crystal along which the diamond could
be cleaved. |
No cleavage planes in the diamond, and the extreme hardness is
attributed to this. |
|
8 |
They are more suitable for ornamental purposes |
They are more suitable for industrial purposes, such as grinding and
drilling. |
|
9 |
They are found in many parts of the world, like South Africa, Brazil,
Canada, Australia, Russia and India. |
They are found only in Brazil and Central African Republic |
Two scientists from Florida International University, Jozsef Garai and
Stephen Haggerty, have proposed in a paper published in the Astrophysical
Journal, of December 20th, 2006, that black diamonds found in the world
today are of extra-terrestrial origin. The evidences they have given for
such a view are :-
1) Black diamonds are never found in Lamproite or
Kimberlite pipes. They are always found in alluvial deposits only. Therefore
black diamonds did not originate deep inside the earth's mantle like
conventional diamonds.
2) The presence of traces of nitrogen and hydrogen gases
in Carbonado, indicates their ET origin. The presence of hydrogen indicates
an origin in hydrogen-rich interstellar space.
3) Black diamonds are found only in two countries in the
world today, Brazil and Central African Republic, which were in close
proximity to one another, before the continental drift, billions of years
ago. Carbonados were formed in stellar supernova explosions, and some of
them were as large as asteroids, a kilometer or more in diameter. One such
Carbonado asteroid impacted the earth's surface in the region of Brazil and
Central Africa, billions of years ago, before the continental drift started.
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