Rounding out our spooky season selection of haunted diamonds is the Sancy- A pale yellow 55.23ct diamond that once belonged to the Mughals of antiquity, but is more likely of Indian Origin. It has been owned by a number of famous people over the years including Charles the Bold (whos big dream was to become king, was thwarted by his untimely death). To James VI and James I- and even the Astor Family.
The stone is sheild shaped and is two back to back crowns, it is an untypical style stone- which is typically only one side of the stone. It also lacks any sembalance of a pavilion.
The cursed history starts in the 1600's when the diamond was named for it's then owner Nicolas de Harlay Seigneur de Sancy, who served as King Henry IV's finance minister. His servant was delivering the diamond to it's new owner King James I, we he attacked by robbers- and rather than forfeit the sparkling jewel he swallowed it!- And then he was murdered anyway, and the bauble was cut from his corpse.
Later King James needed some cash- and he offloaded the jewel to the French royal family during the French Revolution, and it was again stolen. Later it found it's way to the hands of a Russian prince, and then continued to change hands several times over the years until finding it's final private home in 1906 with William Waldorf Astor- who presented it as a wedding gift to his bride Lady Astor. She wore it in a tiara- until it was sold to the Louvre for $1 millon in 1978, where it lives today.
The stone is sheild shaped and is two back to back crowns, it is an untypical style stone- which is typically only one side of the stone. It also lacks any sembalance of a pavilion.
The cursed history starts in the 1600's when the diamond was named for it's then owner Nicolas de Harlay Seigneur de Sancy, who served as King Henry IV's finance minister. His servant was delivering the diamond to it's new owner King James I, we he attacked by robbers- and rather than forfeit the sparkling jewel he swallowed it!- And then he was murdered anyway, and the bauble was cut from his corpse.
Later King James needed some cash- and he offloaded the jewel to the French royal family during the French Revolution, and it was again stolen. Later it found it's way to the hands of a Russian prince, and then continued to change hands several times over the years until finding it's final private home in 1906 with William Waldorf Astor- who presented it as a wedding gift to his bride Lady Astor. She wore it in a tiara- until it was sold to the Louvre for $1 millon in 1978, where it lives today.