It’s strange to think yellow diamonds were once considered worthless. Many believed the impurities trapped within the diamond during formation made it inferior. How wrong they were! From model Heidi Klum’s canary-colored engagement ring to actress Cate Blanchett’s sunburst brooch (which beautifully completed her 2005 Oscars’ look), one thing is for certain: Yellow diamonds are far from the black sheep of the diamond family.
In fact, yellow diamonds are extremely rare (translation: valuable), as they are hardly ever found in mines. These “colored stones embody elegance, wealth, beauty and all that is most precious in the world,” according to the website of Langerman Diamonds, a natural-colored diamond shop founded by Arthur Langerman, the leading expert on the subject since the mid-1960s.
Despite being absolved of a bad reputation, some stones, namely the Sancy Diamond, remain notorious. The almond-shaped, 55-carat pale yellow diamond first appeared in history some 440 years ago. Nicolas Harlai, also known as Seigneur de Sancy, purchased the namesake diamond in 1570 during a trip to Turkey where he was the French ambassador. Harlai then sent a messenger to deliver the diamond to the French Court (kings Henry III and Henry IV needed help to fund an army), but he never made it to his destination. A search party later discovered that the messenger had been robbed and murdered. During an autopsy of the poor man, it was discovered he was incredibly loyal: The messenger had swallowed the diamond to hide it from the murderous thieves
Over the next several centuries, the Sancy Diamond passed through the hands of kings and queens (both French and English) as well as those of schemers and robbers. The Astor family last owned the jewel, until they sold it to Paris’ Louvre Museum in 1978. The diamond has remained in the Louvre’s collection ever since. It is currently on display in the Apollo Gallery, fascinating visitors with not only its unique color and how it brilliantly catches the light, but also its scandalous history.
[Photography courtesy of Wikimedia]
Published on May 25, 2010
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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