Origin of name
The Princie diamond got its name from the fourteen-year
old son of the Maharani of Baroda, Sita Devi, whose nick name was Princie.
The mother and son were special guests of honor at a party held in Paris in
1960, by the owners of the diamond, Van Cleef & Arpels, to celebrate the
acquiring of the rare and unique pink diamond. The diamond which perhaps was
unnamed is a historic diamond said to have belonged to the renowned Nizam of
Hyderabad, who lost his domain in 1948, when it was forcibly annexed to the
new Indian Republic.
Characteristics of the
diamond
The Princie diamond is a pink, cushion-cut stone weighing
34.64 carats, and of unknown color and clarity grades. If the diamond is of
Indian origin, it must have undoubtedly originated in the Golconda mines of
southern India, the source of all other historic Indian pink diamonds such
as the Darya-i-Nur, The Nur-ul-Ain, etc. Therefore, the color of the Princie
diamond should be pale pink, the common shade of pink of all other Indian
pink diamonds. Being a Golconda diamond the clarity of the diamond should
also be exceptional, probably approaching the highest clarity grade
internally flawless.
In the list of known famous pink diamonds given below the
Princie diamond occupies the 5th position.
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 |
Princie |
34.64 |
light pink |
|
6 |
Agra |
32.34 |
fancy light pink |
|
7 |
Pink Sunrise |
29.79 |
fancy pink |
|
8 |
Rose of Dubai |
25.02 |
fancy pink |
|
9 |
Mouawad Lilac |
24.44 |
fancy purplish pink |
|
10 |
Williamson |
23.56 |
fancy pink |
|
11 |
Graff Pink Orchid |
22.84 |
fancy purplish pink |
|
12 |
Mouawad Pink |
21.06 |
fancy pink |
|
13 |
Hortensia |
20.00 |
light orange pink |
|
14 |
Graff Pink Supreme |
10.83 |
fancy pink |
|
15 |
Conde Pink |
9.01 |
light pink |
The Princie diamond is undoubtedly a rare Type IIa
diamond, which is nitrogen free. Type IIa diamonds constitute only about 1-2
% of all naturally occurring diamonds. All Type IIa diamonds are said to be
chemically pure, due to the absence of impurities like nitrogen and boron.
However Type IIa diamonds can belong to one of three sub-groups :-
1) Structurally perfect 2) Structurally
distorted 3) Naturally irradiated
1) Structurally perfect :- Most of the Type IIa diamonds
belong to this sub-group, ie. 1-2 % of all naturally occurring diamonds.
They are both chemically pure and structurally perfect, and are therefore
absolutely colorless diamonds. The D-F grades of diamonds belong to this
group.
2) Structurally distorted :- These diamonds are
chemically pure but structurally imperfect, caused by the twisting and
bending of the tetrahedral crystal units, either during the formation of the
crystal in the earth's mantle, or subsequent rise to the earth's surface.
The plastic distortions so produced can change the absorption spectrum of
the stone, causing rare fancy colors such as pink, red, purple and brown.
Their occurrence is much less than 0.1 % of al naturally occurring diamonds.
3) Naturally irradiated :- These diamonds have been
exposed to natural radiation such as alpha, beta, and gamma rays for over a
long period of time after their formation deep inside the earth's crust.
This exposure alters the crystal structure of the diamond that changes its
absorption spectrum, and induces a green color. Their occurrence however is
much less than 0.1 % of all naturally occurring diamonds.
Thus the Princie diamond is a structurally distorted Type
IIa diamond.
History
The early history of the diamond is shrouded in mystery,
but it is believed to have been owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad, one of the
richest men in the world in the first half of the 20th century, who
inherited a treasure trove of jewels and jewelry from a line of six
predecessors starting from the Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asif Jah, the first Nizam of
Hyderabad, who ruled between 1724 and 1748. After his forceful abdication in
1948, the VIIth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Usman Ali Khan, created two separate
trusts for his jewelry and placed them in the vaults of the Flora Fountain
branch of HSBC in Bombay (Mumbai). Later he retired to Bombay, where he
lived on a pension granted by the Government of India. It is quite possible
that he must have retained some of his jewels and sold them at times of
financial distress, to support his many dependants. The Princie diamond
could have been one such jewel.
The diamond in all probability originated from the Kollur
mines near Golconda, in Hyderabad. The world famous Kollur mines were
situated within the domains of the Kingdom of Hyderabad, and in the 18th
century was still in active production. Thus, a part of the production of
these prolific mines would have undoubtedly entered the treasury of the
Nizams of Hyderabad.
The first time the diamond came into the open was in
1960, when it appeared at an auction held by Sotheby's of London. The
diamond was purchased by the London branch of Van Cleef & Arpels for $
128,000 and then transferred to their Head Quarters in Paris. Van Cleef
organized a party to celebrate the acquisition of the rare, 34.64-carat,
pink diamond, and the flamboyant Princess of India, Maharani Sita Devi of
Baroda and her 14-year old son were Special Guests of Honor. On this special
occasion, Van Cleef & Arpels decided to name the diamond "Princie" in honor
of the 14-year old son of Maharani Sita Devi whose pet family name was
Princie.
According to Van Cleef & Arpels the Princie diamond is
one of the largest and finest pink diamonds in the world. Van Cleef &
Arpels got the diamond mounted as a pendant, surrounded by white brilliants,
on a necklace of baguette diamonds. The necklace was later sold to an
anonymous buyer.
Sita Devi the most
flamboyant Maharani in the history of India
Maharani Sita Devi, popularly known as India's Wallis
Simpson by the western media, was the second wife of Maharajah Pratapsinh
Gaekwad of Baroda, whom she married in 1943. Maharani Sitadevi was
previously married to the Zamindar of Vayyur, and the two of them
accidentally met each other at the famous Madras horse races, in 1943. It
was a case of love at first sight, and Sita Devi willingly reciprocated the
advances of the Maharajah, who was prepared to take her as his wife, in
spite of the fact that he was already married happily with four children.
But, there were several hurdles to be overcome before they could be united
as man and wife. The first major hurdle was for Sita Devi to get a divorce
from her husband. She converted herself to the religion of Islam, and under
Islamic law her continued status quo as the wife of a Hindu husband was
untenable, and she was granted a divorce under Islamic Law. Having
obtained a divorce under Islamic Law, she re-converted herself back to her
former religion and was now free to marry her lover the Maharajah of Baroda.
The Maharajah married Sita Devi and took her to his
palace in Baroda, as his second wife, but by his actions had violated the
laws of his own domain and committed an act of bigamy. According to the laws
of Baroda as promulgated by his own grandfather Maharajah Sayaji Rao, no one
in Baroda could take a second spouse, as long as the first one was alive.
The British Viceroy who was annoyed by the Maharajah's actions in
circumventing the laws of the country, summoned him and expressed his
displeasure about the whole affair. The Maharajah was forced to take cover,
and adduced two reasons for his actions. The first reason was that Sita Devi
was an adult, unattached Hindu lady, who was free to make her own
independent decisions, and the second was that the laws of bigamy applied
only to his subjects, and he as the ruler was exempted from such laws. Legal
advisers to the Viceroy told him that the Maharajah's position was legally
correct, and there was nothing that the British could do about it. But the
Viceroy was advised not to extend recognition and protocol formalities
due to her as a legal Maharani of a Princely state.
After the end of world war II the Indian Freedom Movement
gathered momentum, and for the extravagant Maharajahs of India, the writing
on the wall was very clear. Maharajah Pratapsinh Gaekwad, who was the eighth
richest man in the world at that time, and his wife Maharani Sita Devi
decided to relocate to a suitable country in Europe in order to prepare for
any eventuality in the future. They selected the sovereign Principality of
Monaco, the tiny territory of only 0.73 sq miles (1.9 sq km), situated along
the Mediterranean coast in the midst of the resort area of the French
Riviera as the most suitable site to locate their future residence.
They purchased a magnificent mansion in Monaco, and Maharani Sita Devi made
it her permanent residence. Following this most of the treasures of the
Maharajah, which included valuable jewels and jewelry were moved from Baroda
to their new residence in Monaco. Some of the well known items included the
famous seven stranded natural pearl necklace, the three stranded diamond
necklace incorporating the 128.48-carat Star of the South diamond, and the
76.5-carat English Dresden diamond as pendants and the famous pearl carpet.
In 1947 when India became an independent republic, Baroda
decided to join the Indian Union. Officials of the Government of India took
over the treasury of Baroda and were shocked to find that most of the
valuable treasures were missing. They forced the Gaekwad to bring back some
of the valuables, which include the seven stranded pearl necklace. But,
Maharani Sita Devi refused to surrender most of the jewels. Instead she got
them remounted on new settings by Van Cleef & Arpels. In 1949 Van Cleef &
Arpels remounted several emeralds and diamonds into a magnificent fringe
necklace called the Hindu necklace. The fringe of 13 emerald drops weighed a
total of 150 carats. They also designed a pair of ear pendants, with each
pendant containing a polished octagonal drop shaped emerald, suspending a
20-carat diamond briolette.
A story is also told of an interesting meeting of the two
Wallis Simpsons of the east and the west at a ball in New York held in 1957,
for which both had received invitations. Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of
Windsor, was wearing a diamond choker studded with cabochon emeralds and
rose-cut diamonds, for the party, which she had purchased recently from
Harry Winston, not knowing that the same jewels had once adorned a pair of
anklets worn by Maharani Sita Devi. While other guests at the party were
admiring the beauty of the diamond choker, Sita Devi was heard commenting
loudly that they had also looked very nice on her feet. The Duchess of
Windsor felt humiliated, and on the very next day returned the necklace to
Harry Winston.
The marriage of Pratapsinh Gaekwad to Sita Devi, which
had a dramatic beginning in 1943, also came to a dramatic end 13 years
afterwards in 1956, when the couple separated and their marriage was
dissolved. In 1968 Pratapsinh died in exile in London, and Sita Devi spent
her remaining years with only her son Princie for companionship. As time
passed Sita Devi's glamour and riches faded. Her son Princie's behavior also
became a source of serious concern and worry for her. The lad perhaps due to
forceful isolation picked up the wrong values from the society which he was
thrust into by his mother. He became a chronic alcoholic and drug addict,
which eventually led to his suicide by slitting his throat in May 1985. Sita
Devi was unable to reconcile to the loss of her beloved son which became
something too great for her to bear up. Not long afterwards in 1986, Sita
Devi died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in France. Without any doubt in the history
of India, Sita Devi remains as the most flamboyant Maharani.
