It’s not often that you hear the words “diamond” and “radioactivity” in the same sentence, but that’s exactly what makes the Dresden Green Diamond one of the rarest gems in the world.
The largest—and most flawless—green diamond ever found, it owes its unique color to natural radioactivity, which it was exposed to during formation. First mentioned in a 1722 edition of London’s The Post Boy newspaper and believed to be of Indian origin, much of the diamond’s early history is steeped in mystery, making it all the more alluring.
In the 1740s, King Augustus the Strong of Poland and Saxony, Germany, bought it at the Leipzig fair to add to the Green Vault, a series of rooms in Germany’s Dresden Castle that were dedicated to his majesty´s many extravagant treasures. (The name came from the first of the vault’s nine rooms being painted green, not from the diamond’s unique hue.)
After being placed in various mountings, Frederick Augustus III ordered the court jeweler Diespach to create an elaborate agraffe, or hat clasp, that would showcase the magnificent diamond.
Still the focal point of Diespach’s remarkable gold and silver mount, the 41-carat green diamond sits alongside a 6.3-carat and 411 medium- and small-sized white brilliant-cut diamonds. Amid a gallery of more than 4,000 of what is largely recognized as Europe’s greatest treasure trove, it remains the highlight of any visit to the Green Vault, where it has lived for nearly three centuries.
For more information, visit the SKD Museum.
Published on August 12, 2010
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