Origin of name
The Porges Diamond gets it's name from the renowned 19th
century French diamond merchant, and diamond mining pioneer Jules Porges
(1839-1921), in memory of whom the diamond was named after the famous New
York diamond dealer and jeweler Harry Winston purchased it in 1962.
Characteristics of the
stone
The diamond is a 78.53-carat, fancy yellow, SI-1 clarity,
asscher-cut stone. Fancy yellow grade is a medium color grade for yellow
diamonds and not so common. This coupled with the large size and unique cut
of the stone makes it a notable diamond, sought after by collectors and
connoisseurs of diamonds.
Being yellow, the diamond is a type I diamond, whose
distinguishing feature is the presence of detectable quantities of Nitrogen
(usually less than 0.1 %) in it's crystal structure. Type I diamonds are
sub-divided into two depending on whether Nitrogen atoms occur in groups or
scattered as single atoms. If Nitrogen atoms occur in groups the diamonds
are type Ia, and if they are scattered as single atoms the diamonds are type
Ib.
98 % of all natural diamonds are type Ia diamonds and
type Ib diamonds are less than 0.1 % of natural diamonds. Type Ia diamonds
are further sub-divided into three, depending on whether the groups of
Nitrogen atoms contain 2, 3, or 4 atoms.
Type IaA - Nitrogen atoms found as groups of 2 atoms
known as A-aggregates. A-aggregates do not absorb visible light and
therefore do not affect the color of the diamond. A-aggregates quench
fluorescence. Thus type IaA diamonds are colorless and non-fluorescent.
Type Iab - Nitrogen atoms found as groups of 4 atoms
known as B-aggregates. B-aggregates do not absorb visible light and do not
quench fluorescence. Thus type IaB diamonds are colorless and strongly
fluorescent.
Type IaAB - Nitrogen atoms are found as A-aggregates,
B-aggregates, or N3 centers (groups of 3 atoms). A and B aggregates do not
absorb visible light but N3 center absorb visible light in the blue end of
the spectrum giving rise to a pale to medium yellow color. They can also
show various degrees of fluorescence.
Type Ib - Nitrogen atoms are scattered as single atoms
and these absorb visible light in the blue end of the spectrum giving an
intense yellow color to the diamonds, such as canary yellow.
From the above account it appears that the Porges diamond
is most probably a type IaAB diamond.
History
The diamond is most probably of South African origin, but
other details such as the mine of origin, the weight of the rough stone, the
original owners of the diamond, etc. are conspicuously lacking.
Jules Porges was born in Vienna in 1839, into a
prominent Austro-Hungarian family, but was brought up in Prague, the capital
of Czech Republic, which in mediaeval times was known as the Kingdom of
Bohemia. His father was a prominent jewelry merchant in Prague, and it was
here that Jules Porges had his apprenticeship in the competitive jewelry
trade. In the 1860s Jules, settled in Paris, where he eventually established
himself as a prominent diamond dealer and set up the Jules Porges and
Company. His business flourished and by the time diamonds were discovered in
South Africa, he had amassed a tremendous fortune, and was considered to be
the leading diamond merchant in the world. Porges realized the potential of
the newly discovered mines in South Africa, and dispatched two of his
trusted representatives in 1873, to look into the possibilities of
purchasing already discovered diamonds as well as investing in the diamond
prospecting and mining industry.
In 1876, Porges himself arrived in Kimberley, South
Africa, and after a careful study of the ground situation, invested in the
mining rights of four major mines-The De Beers mine, Bultfontein mine,
Dutoitspan mine, and Kimberley mine. He also purchased already discovered
rough diamonds, which he dispatched to Paris for processing. Subsequently his
main interests were focused on the prolific diamond mine, the Kimberley,
and he became a close associate of Cecil Rhodes. In 1888, Rhodes incorporated
De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. and eventually persuaded Jules Porges, to
sell his shares to the newly formed company. Subsequently he retired in
1890.
Harry Winston designed two different pieces of jewelry
for the asscher-cut Porges diamond, a simple ring mount and a unique brooch
made up of cabochon-cut emerald rubies and other old-mine cut and
old-European cut diamonds, in which the Porges diamond could be mounted as
the centerpiece. The Porges diamond was expected to play a dual role,
depending on the circumstances. When the diamond was to be worn as a ring it
was transferred to the gold ring mount, and when it was to be worn as a
brooch, the diamond was made the center piece of the brooch mount.
On April 19th and 20th, 2004, the Porges diamond figured
at a Christie's magnificent Jewels sale. An estimate of $ 600,000 to
800,000, was put on the stone. The diamond was put on auction together with
it's unique brooch setting, the gold ring mount and a screw driver, to
enable the diamond to be transferred back and forth as and when the occasion
demanded.
