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Thursday 04 May 2023

Tiffany - Canary yellow - 287.42 ct

The Tiffany diamond, one of the largest fancy yellow diamonds ever unearthed, was initially a 287.42-carat rough stone, said to have been discovered in one of the mines of the Compagnie française de Diamant du Cap in South Africa, around 1878. In 1879, Lewis Charles Tiffany purchased the stone and sent it to his chief gemologist in Paris, George F. Kunz, who, along with other experts, first studied the rough diamond for a year before starting the actual cutting work. The result was a 128.51-carat cushion shaped diamond with a total of 90 facets (24 more facets than a traditional 58-facet brilliant).

Although yellow diamonds exist in relatively large numbers, most of these are only slightly tinted. Canary yellow diamonds, such as the Tiffany, are extremely rare and especially for such a large stone, making the Tiffany diamond truly exceptional.

Throughout the years, the Tiffany diamond has made several notable appearances. The first time was in 1957 when it was worn to the Tiffany Ball in Newport, by Mrs. Whitehouse. Then,  in 1961 Audrey Hepburn wore Schlumberger’s Ribbon Rosette necklace featuring the Tiffany diamond in a promotional image for the film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

 Photo: Roxibejeweled.blogspot.be

In 2019 it was seen at the Oscars Awards Ceremony, adorning the neck of Lady Gaga who took home the award that evening for the song, Shallow, which she co-wrote for the movie,  A Star is Born.

 Photo: Getty

The diamond which is normally on display on the main floor of Tiffany's Fifth Avenue flagship store does occasionally make appearances elsewhere,  as it did in 2019, for the opening of Tiffany’s flagship store in Sydney, Australia. Four settings are known for this diamond.