Origin of name
This rare blue diamond of Indian origin that has a
recorded history dating back to the late 17th century, eventually came
into the possession of the Wittelsbach family in 1722, the German noble
family that provided rulers of Bavaria and of the Rhenish Palatinate until
the 20th century. Bavaria was ruled for over 700 years by Dukes of the
Wittelsbach family, from 1180 to 1918. The name Wittelsbach was taken from
the Castle of Wittelsbach, which became the official residence of the Dukes
of Bavaria. The diamond gets its name from the Wittelsbach family, in whose
possession it remained as a family diamond until the abdication of the last
king in 1918.
©Christie's
Characteristics of the
diamond
The Wittelsbach is a 35.56-carat, cushion-cut, dark blue
diamond of unknown color and clarity grades. But, going by the descriptions
and photographs of the diamond it may qualify for a fancy intense blue color
grade. The diamond is also said to be pure apart from a few surface
scratches. There are 82 facets on the diamond. The main facets on the crown
are vertically split and the pavilion has 16 needle like facets arranged in
pairs and radiating from the culet.
The Wittelsbach is the 3rd largest of the known famous
blue diamonds in the world. See table below.
It is interesting to note that the first four diamonds in
the list below are all historic diamonds of Indian origin, the original
source of blue diamonds in the world. The remaining diamonds in the list are
all of South African origin.
The main source of blue diamonds in India, was the famous
Kollur mines near Golconda, in Andhra Pradesh, in Southern India. The main
source of blue diamonds in South Africa, is the De Beers Premier mines, in
Transvaal, South Africa.
Another fact that emerges from the table is the
restricted size of blue diamonds. All the diamonds in the list are below 50
carats in weight. In comparison yellow diamonds and colorless diamonds which
are more predominant in nature have much larger carat weights. Eg. The 1st,
2nd, and 3rd largest colorless diamonds in the world the Cullinan I,
Cullinan II, and the Centenary, have weights of 530.20 carats, 317.40 carats
and 273.85 carats respectively. Likewise, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd largest
yellow diamonds in the world, the Incomparable, the De Beers, and the Red
Cross diamonds have weights of 407.48 carats, 234.65 carats, and 205.07
carats respectively. Thus it appears that in blue diamonds the rarity of the
color is combined with the restricted size of the diamonds
List of famous blue
diamonds in the world
|
S/N |
Name |
carat weight |
color |
|
1 |
Hope diamond |
45.52 |
fancy dark grayish blue |
|
2 |
Tereschenko |
42.92 |
fancy blue |
|
3 |
Wittelsbach |
35.56 |
fancy intense blue |
|
4 |
Sultan of Morocco |
35.27 |
fancy grayish blue |
|
5 |
The Blue Heart |
30.82 |
fancy intense blue |
|
6 |
The Heart of Eternity |
27.64 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
7 |
Transvaal Blue |
25.00 |
unknown color grade |
|
8 |
The Blue Empress |
14.00 |
unknown color grade |
|
9 |
The Blue Magic |
12.02 |
fancy vivid blue |
|
10 |
Graff Blue |
6.19 |
fancy blue |
Being a blue diamond the Wittelsbach is a rare Type IIb
diamond, which constitute only 0.1 % of all naturally occurring diamonds.
Blue diamonds are Type II because they are nitrogen-free or contain
undetectable quantities of nitrogen. They are Type IIb, because instead of
nitrogen they contain trace quantities of another impurity boron, which
imparts the blue color to the diamonds. Another feature of blue
diamonds is, that unlike other diamonds which are non-conductors of
electricity, blue diamonds are semi-conductors.
Early history
The first record of the Wittelsbach diamond's existence
in Europe was in the latter part of the 17th century. This clearly indicates
that the diamond is of Indian origin, as around this time, the only source
of blue diamonds in the world was the Kollur mines, near Golconda, in
Southern India. In fact when Tavernier, visited Golconda in the mid-17th
century, the Kollur mines were in active production, and more than 20 mines
were being worked employing over 60,000 people.
It has been suggested that the Wittelsbach diamond might
have probably originated from Tavernier's 112.5-carat French Blue
Diamond, which he acquired from India and later sod to King Louis XIV of
France. But, this is highly improbable according to the chronology of events
affecting the two diamonds. The first recorded appearance of the Wittelsbach
diamond was in 1666, when King Philip IV of Spain gave it as part of the
dowry for his daughter's wedding to Leopold I of Austria. The 112.5-carat
Tavernier blue or French Blue diamond on the other hand was purchased
by King Louis XIV, at least two years after this in 1668. This clearly shows
that the two diamonds had their own independent origins, and there was no
way that the Wittelsbach diamond that preceded the French Blue diamond by
two years could have originated from the latter. Moreover the 112.5-carat
French Blue rough diamond, was cut by Sieur Pitau into a triangular
pear-shaped brilliant weighing 67.50 carats. To suggest that the same rough
diamond would have produced another perfect blue diamond of 35.56
carats is technically impossible, given the fact that at least a 40-50 %
loss of weight is inevitable in the processing of any rough stone.
The history of the Wittelsbach diamond is not as eventful
as its more famous cousin the Hope diamond, which also originated almost
during the same period. The Hope diamond had a notorious career in history,
apparently bringing misfortune and sometimes death to the owners or persons associated
with the owners of the diamond, which was attributed to a purported curse
placed on the diamond by the Hindu priests of a temple in southern India
from where the diamond was stolen. The Hope diamond would have been more
appropriately christened the "diamond of despair" for all the mischief it is
believed to have caused along the course of its long history.
The Wittelsbach on the other hand was a clean diamond
with legitimate origins, and its course in history was as smooth as its
origin. The first time we hear of the Wittelsbach diamond was in 1666, when
the rare blue diamond formed part of the wedding gift given by King Philip
IV of Spain to his daughter Margarita Teresa on the occasion of her marriage
to Emperor Leopold I of Austria, who was also elected Holy Roman Emperor.
Besides the large blue diamond, the dowry also included jewelry and other
precious stones acquired from India and Portugal. The marriage however
lasted only for seven years, and ended with the untimely death of Margarita
Teresa in 1673. Leopold I also fell dangerously ill in 1670, but recovered
miraculously and in 1673, after the death of Margarita Teresa, married
Claudia Felicitas from the Tirolian branch of the Austrian Hapsburgs. In
1676, Emperor Leopold solemnized his third marriage to Eleanor Magdalena
daughter of the elector of Palatinate. This marriage turned out to be a
happy union and produced 10 children, among them the future Emperors Joseph
I and Charles VI.
Infanta Margarita Theresa of Spain- Painting by Velazquez
With the death of Margarita Teresa in 1673, the ownership
of her jewelry passed to her husband, and in a document dated March 23rd,
1673, the Wittelsbach diamond is listed as a diamond ornament in the form of
a large brooch, with a great blue diamond in the center. Leopold I gifted
all jewelry belonging to Margarita Teresa, to his third wife and Queen
consort Eleanor Magdalena, which included the Wittelsbach diamond brooch.
Leopold I died in 1705 and was succeeded by his eldest son Joseph I, who
also died suddenly in 1711, and was succeeded by his brother Charles VI. Empress
Eleanor Magdalena lived up to the year 1720, and before dying had bequeathed
the great blue diamond to her granddaughter, Archduchess Maria Amelia,
daughter of Emperor Joseph I.
Archduchess Maria Amelia married the Bavarian Crown
Prince Charles Albert in 1722, who succeeded to the Bavarian throne in 1726
and remained king and elector of Bavaria until his death in 1745. He was
also elected Holy Roman Emperor, as Charles VII in 1742, with the help of
France and Prussia, during the war of Austrian succession, in opposition to
Maria Theresa's husband, Francis Stephen, the grand duke of Tuscany. After
Maria Amelia's marriage to Charles Albert, the great blue diamond became the
family diamond of the House of Bavaria, and came to be known as the
Wittelsbach diamond. The Wittelsbach diamond was the most expensive item of
jewelry among other items in Maria Amelia's dowry, and had a estimated value
of 240.000 guilders at the time of her marriage. It is reported that not
long after Crown Prince Charles Albert married Archduchess Maria Emelia, his
father Maximillian Emmanuel, the elector of Bavaria, got into dire financial
straits and was forced to borrow money from a banker named Oppenheimer, by
pledging the Wittelsbach diamond and other valuables. The diamond was later
redeemed by Charles Albert after the death of his father.
Golden Fleece ornament set with a replica of the
Wittelsbach diamond
Charles Albert had a special affection for the
Wittelsbach diamond and had its setting changed several times, each time
going in for a more beautiful setting, than the previous one. But the most
extravagant of all these settings was the one designed and executed by a
Munich jeweler, who was commissioned for the job by Charles Albert's
successor Maximillian III, and consisted of 700 diamonds. This was a golden
fleece ornament which apart from the gold ram consisted of two sections. The
centerpiece of the upper part was the Wittelsbach diamond, surrounded by
smaller cushion-cut white brilliants, and an outer intricate floral pattern
consisting of white diamonds of various shapes and sizes. The centerpiece of
the lower part was a cushion-shaped pinkish-brown brilliant with three rows
of large white diamonds radiating horizontally from it on either side with
several rows of smaller white diamonds in between them.
Ludwig I (Louis I) of Bavaria standing beside the Bavarian
Crown mounted with the original Wittelsbach diamond.
Modern history
The Bavarian kingdom was abolished in 1918, when Bavaria
became a republic, after the socialist revolution organized by Eisner Kurt,
a journalist and socialist politician, that overthrew the monarchy. Eisner
became the first prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of the new
republic. The last in line of a long succession of Bavarian Dukes who ruled
for over 700 years, was Louis III (Ludwig III). After his abdication in 1918 Louis III,
retired to a private life in his estate in Hungary, where he died in 1921.
His funeral ceremony in Munich, was the last occasion the Wittelsbach
diamond accompanied a monarch to his final place of rest.
Louis III (Ludwig III)-Last King of Bavaria
After the abolition of the Monarchy in 1918, the
possessions of the former house of Wittelsbach were placed under the control
of an equalization fund. Members of the royal family received an indemnity
from the state but this was hardly enough for their survival. Soon they were
reduced to a state of penury. In order to relieve their suffering the State
agreed in 1931 that certain jewels of the House of Wittelsbach could be
sold, and accordingly Christie's of London were assigned the task of
auctioning the Bavarian Crown jewels. The auction was held in December 1931
and comprised of 13 lots. Bidding for the first lot that included the
Wittelsbach diamond started at £ 3,000 and was knocked down to a purchaser
by the name of Thorpe for £ 5,400. From then onwards the Wittelsbach diamond
vanished without any trace.
Bavarian King's Crown with a replica of the Wittelsbach Diamond mounted
on the top
According to another version of its disappearance the
Wittelsbach diamond was not sold at the auction held by Christie's, but was
subsequently sold illegally through a Munich jeweler in 1932. Research
also had shown that whoever was in the possession of the rare and historic
diamond had sold it in Belgium in 1951 and again in 1955. Later in 1958 the
Wittelsbach diamond appears to have been displayed at the Brussels World
Exhibition together with other jewelry, but none of the millions of visitors
who may have seen the diamond were aware that it was the missing Wittelsbach
diamond. Finally the Wittelsbach diamond was re-discovered in 1962, almost
three decades after its disappearance, thanks to the vigilance of a leading
Belgian diamond dealer Joseph Komkommer, who received a phone call in
January 1962, requesting him to look at an old mine-cut diamond, with a view
of re-cutting it. When he received the package containing the diamond in his
office, he opened it, and to his amazement he discovered that the diamond
was an old mine-cut, rare, dark blue diamond. He immediately recognized its
rarity and possible historic significance, and was of the opinion that
re-cutting it would be tantamount to sacrilege. With a lot of painstaking
research and investigation, assisted by his son Jacques, Joseph Komkommer
was able to identify the diamond positively as the long lost Wittelsbach
diamond, formerly owned by the royal family of Bavaria. Mr. Joseph swung
into action, and instead of re-cutting the diamond, initiated negotiations
with the owners, the trustees of an unidentified estate, for its purchase.
He formed a syndicate of diamond buyers from Belgium and USA, and purchased
the diamond, which was valued at £ 180,000. The Wittelsbach diamond
was finally sold to an anonymous private collector in 1964.
Update :- December 11, 2008
The Wittelsbach
diamond reappears at a Christie's auction in London, on December 11, 2008,
and fetches a record breaking price of $ 24.3 million (£16.4
million pounds)
The above webpage on the renowned Wittelsbach diamond,
with a historic provenance of 342 years, and which was once part of the crown
jewels of Austria and Bavaria, was created on September 11, 2007. The
diamond last appeared at an international auction held by Christie's of
London, in December 1931, but was not sold. The diamond was then returned to
Munich and sold by a privately negotiated deal by a Munich Jeweler in 1932
to an anonymous buyer. After the diamonds disappearance for three decades it
re-appeared again in 1962, and was identified by the Belgian diamond dealer
Joseph Komkommer, who formed a syndicate that purchased the diamond for
£180,000. The diamond was subsequently sold to an
anonymous private collector in 1964. The re-appearance of the diamond in
2008 at Christie's in anticipation of its sale on December 10, 2008,
has brought out more facts relevant to this renowned diamond hitherto
unknown, and this update is intended to give our readers an opportunity to
keep abreast of all the latest developments in respect of this historic
diamond.
Characteristics of the diamond
The color and clarity grades of the diamond that were
previously unknown have now been revealed by the GIA report that accompanied
the diamond prior to its sale. According to GIA report no. 17794002 dated
September 24, 2008, the cushion-shaped diamond weighing 35.56 carats has a
fancy deep grayish-blue color, and a clarity grade of VS2. The report
further states that the diamond is classified as a Type IIb diamond.
Identity of the owners
of Wittelsbach diamond from 1932 to 1962 ?
According to a report published on the Times online UK,
on November 7, 2008, the possible identity of persons who sold the
Wittelsbach diamond to Joseph Komkommer and subsequently purchased the
diamond in 1964 have been revealed. It was Romi Goldmuntz, an heir of one of
Europe's most successful diamond dealers, who contacted Joseph Komkommer a
fellow dealer on Antwerp's Pelikaanstraat in 1962, and requested him to have
a look at the old mine-cut diamond, with a view of re-cutting it.
Subsequently the syndicate formed by Joseph Komkommer purchased the diamond
from the Goldmuntz family. Thus it appears that the Goldmutz family owned
the diamond from 1932 to 1962.
Identity of the owners
of the Wittelsbach diamond from 1964 to 2008?
In 1964, the Wittelsbach diamond had been passed on to a
Hamburg jeweler who sold it to an anonymous buyer, whose identity had been a
mystery ever since. But, according to Juergen Evers an expert on the
diamond, the Wittelsbach diamond was sold to the department store magnate
Helmut Horten, who gave it to his young bride, Heidi, as a wedding present
in 1966. Horten died in 1987, but his widow Heidi Horten now ranks as the
wealthiest woman in Austria with a personal fortune of more than 3 billion
euros.
The Times report further goes on to say that the Horten
Foundation had not commented whether Mrs. Horten still owns the Wittelsbach
diamond, but there had been reports of people having seen her wearing a
large blue diamond at high society parties. Thus if Mrs. Horten does indeed
own the diamond, it appears that the Wittelsbach diamond had remained with
the Horten family for 44 years from 1964 to 2008. According to Christie's
the diamond had been put up for auction by the same family that owned the
diamond for the past four decades.
The date of the
auction and pre-sale exhibitions of the diamond
The sale of the Wittelsbach diamond also known as "Der
Blaue Wittelsbacher" at a Christie's auction in London, known as "Jewels:
The London Sale" on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, was first advertised by
Christie's in early November 2008. But, prior to this the diamond had
already been exhibited at two important locations in the Middle East, Abu
Dhabi and Dubai. At Abu Dhabi the diamond was exhibited at Christie's
Landmark Exhibition of sale highlights at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu
Dhabi. At Dubai the diamond was exhibited during the Christie's auctions
that was held in Dubai on the 29th and 30th of October, 2008. In London, the
diamond was exhibited on December 5, 2008, just 5 days before the auction.
Comments made by
Chairman of Christie's Europe and Head of Christie's Jewelry Department in
London
"It is a great honor and a lifetime dream to handle a
museum quality stone such as the Wittelsbach. The appearance of a large blue
diamond, among the rarest of colors, with a history that can be traced back
to the 17th century and 300 years of royal connections will surely be a
thrilling occasion for all collectors of exceedingly rare jewels and works
of art," said Francois Curiel, Chairman of Christie's Europe and
International Head of Jewelry.
"It's a very subtle stone," said Keith Penton, head of
Christie's Jewelry department in London. "Connoisseurs really love the way
it hasn't been re-cut since the 17th century. But they're also looking at
the size and the color, and the historic provenance. There are so many
angles to this one."
The reserve price
placed on the diamond
The reserve price placed on the diamond was
£9 million, which was considered to be modest given that
a 13.39-carat blue diamond fetched £5.6 million at an auction in May 2008.
Going by this estimate the 35.56-carat Wittelsbach blue diamond which is
almost three times larger than the 13.39-carat blue diamond should sell for
at least 3 x 5.6 = 16.8 million pounds.
Prospective bidders at the auctions
According to the Timesonline report
of November 7, 2008, the Bavarian Government was expected to be one of the
bidders at the auction, as the Prime Minister of Bavaria Horst Seehofer, was
reported to have stated that he was determined to restore Bavarian pride by
buying the gem.
"It's a lot of money, but we have to
think about it," said a senior Bavarian official in Munich. "I believe it
belongs to Bavaria. It's just a question of whether we can be seen splashing
out money on jewelry in hard times."
The director of the German
Historical Museum in Berlin, Hans Ottomayer, an authority on the History of
the Wittelsbach diamond, said, "It's an obligation after all the blunders of
the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s." The Bavarian State felt the loss of the
Wittelsbach diamond very badly two years ago, when the historical crown of
the Bavarian monarchy on which the diamond was mounted, was put on display,
the empty socket that occupied the diamond, being filled in by a piece of
blue glass.
Another prospective bidder at the
auction was expected to be the familiar figure at Christie's auctions
Laurence Graff, the owner of Graff Diamonds, London, who had made record
breaking purchases at previous auctions, and had purchased several colored
diamonds before on behalf of the Sultan of Brunei. However, according to
Bloomberg.com, Francois Graff, managing director of Graff Diamonds is
reported to have made the following comments in a phone interview, "If
someone buys it for 9 million pounds , it will be because of the history.
It's not a stone we'll be looking to buy. It was cut a long time ago without
the benefits of modern technology. Buyers of extremely rare diamonds expect
excellence in all aspects." The comments made cast some doubts as to whether
Graff would actually want to bid for the celebrated diamond !!!
Previous record for any gemstone sold at auction
The previous record for any gemstone sold at an auction
was $16.5 million, paid for the 100.1 carat, pear-shaped, D-color, flawless
diamond "Star of the Season," purchased by Sheik Ahmed Hassan Fitaihi of
Saudi Arabia, in May 1995, at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva.
The Wittelsbach
blue diamond fetches a record sale price of
£16.39 million ($24.3 million)
On December 10, 2008, the 35.56-carat Wittelsbach blue
diamond was sold at the Christie's auction in London, for
£16.39 million ($24.3 million), almost double the
reserve price of £9 million. The sale price realized is said to be a world
record price for any diamond or jewelry sold at an auction. The price per
carat realized was £460,911. The price per carat realized for the
13.39-carat blue diamond sold in May 2008 for £5.6 million was £418,222.
Thus, the price per carat realized for the Wittelsbach blue diamond was
£42,689 higher than the price per carat realized for the 13.39-carat blue
diamond.
Laurence Graff of Graff Diamonds is the successful bidder
Bidding for the Wittelsbach diamond,
which was lot 212/sale 7634,
started at £4 million. The pace of the auction was very fast, bidding
reaching £10 million within a few seconds. Surprisingly Laurence Graff who
was not expected to participate in the bidding after the negative remarks
made previously by the managing director of Graff Diamonds, also took part
in the auction, making his bids through the phone. Two Russians who also
took part in the bidding gave Mr. Graff a tough competition. One of the
Russians who bid to the last with Mr. Graff was Aleks Paul of Essex Global
Trading, a professional of Russian origin based in New York. But, Laurence
Graff out bid them all and the hammer was brought down in favor of Mr. Graff
at £16.39 million.
Post
auction comments
The outcome of the sale astounded
all pessimists and critics who expected no takers at all for the diamond in
these days of credit crunch. "In the midst of these challenging times, we
were thrilled to achieve an historic price for an historic diamond," said
Mr. Francois Curiel. It appears that whoever who purchased this diamond
during these difficult days had done so, convinced that diamonds are a
recession-proof investment. Mr. Graff who was elated after his successful
purchase said that the diamond might have sold for £50 million if there had
been no credit crunch. Mr. Graff also said that he plans to re-cut and
polish the diamond and use all his expertise to create an amazing piece
befitting this historic gem, before selling it. Mr. Graff is also reported
to have said that acquiring this historic gem was the climax of his career.
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References :-
1.Famous Diamonds by Ian Balfour
2.Encyclopaedia
Britannica - 2006
3.The Wittelsbach Diamond - Lot 212/ Sale
7634, Christie's website
4.The Wittelsbach Diamond : Unique Royal
History, For Sale at Christie's London in December. Press Release - Monday,
November 3, 2008. Christie's website.
5.Bavaria considers bid to bring mysterious Wittelsbach diamond home -
Timesonline, November 7, 2008.
6.The Wittelsbach Diamond - Unique
Royal History for Sale at Christie's London in December - Press Release,
middleeastevents.com
7.Diamond May Fetch 9 Million Pounds at
Christie's, Defying Slump - Bloomberg.com December 9, 2008.
External Links :-
Christie's.COM- The Wittelsbach Diamond .Lot 212/Sale 7634
