In the skillful hands of jewelers, diamonds are transformed into diamonds. Not everyone can buy expensive jewelry. The most beautiful and largest stones have their own stories. They're just as exciting as gems. The famous Orlov diamond has its own legend.
A large stone of green and blue shades has an egg half cut in the form of an Indian rose. The flower petals resemble multiple triangular facets arranged in tiers. Orlov became an adornment of the imperial staff in the 1770s. The jewel is kept in the country's Diamond Fund.
History of appearance
The mineral was found in the early 17th century in India. It shocked with its weight, transparency and unusual shades. After cutting, the diamond, which did not have a single flaw, became an adornment of the temple statue. An English soldier who saw him decided to steal the gem in order to sell it profitably.
The future thief became a novice in the temple. The Englishman managed to sell the jewel to Gregory Safras, a merchant. The new owner hid the acquisition for a long time. According to some reports, the spouse of the merchant's niece, Lazarev, got the treasure after the death of the former owner. In the 1770s, the stone came to Russia.
Count Orlov bought it. Wanting to win the favor of Empress Catherine II, he presented her with a diamond. This was not the case with any monarch. The courtiers immediately began to praise the count's generosity. As a result, the gem acquired the name of the donor.
According to another version, the empress, who learned about the existence of an unusual treasure, acquired it herself for a huge amount. However, she hid the purchase for fear of gossip. Catherine handed over the acquisition to Orlov, on the condition that the count would present the crystal to her as a birthday present. It is impossible to verify the veracity of both versions, but in any case, the mineral is known in the world under the name "Orlov".
Real name
It is believed that "Orlov" is another name for the "Great Mogul", an equally famous gem found at about the same time in the Kolur mines. It was first described by the French traveler Tavernier. Both stones are very similar, but traces of the "Great Mogul" were lost in the first half of the 18th century.
After the death of its last owner, the Persian Shah, nothing was known about the diamond for a long time. However, over time there were rumors that the missing gem strikingly resembles the Orlov diamond.
"Black Orlov" has nothing to do with them. An extremely rare transparent mineral composed of many small crystals. According to available information, the Indian gem served as a decoration for the statue of Buddha. After stealing the gem, the gods were angry for disrespecting them.
Black Orlov
As a result, "Black Orlov" began to bring only misfortune to the owners. The legend was confirmed by the fact that all the owners of the jewelry committed suicide. The name of the former owner was hidden so as not to disrupt the new deal. Therefore, it is impossible to count the number of deaths accompanying the gloomy treasure.
The gem owes its name to newspaper people. They wrote that the stone in Russia led to the death of Princess Orlova. The crystal is named after her. True, historians are increasingly inclined to the version that the mysterious person was a fictional character: there is no information about her in any archive.
The bad fame of the jewelry was confirmed by the diaries of the new owners, the princesses Leshchinskaya and Golitsyna-Baratynskaya. Both mentioned strange and frightening events shortly before their death. After that, the crystal was split, and nothing is known about the whereabouts of its parts.
The stone is said to have been shipped to North America and is being auctioned in New York. In order not to scare off potential owners, the true name of the "cursed jewel" is always carefully hidden.
