'Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace' Commemorates Largest Diamond Ever Mined

In 1910, Thomas Cullinan, then chairman of the Premier Mine in South Africa, gifted an elaborate necklace to his wife Lady Annie Francis Cullinan to commemorate the discovery of the largest gem-quality diamond ever mined.

About five years earlier, on January 26, 1905, Captain Frederick Wells was conducting a standard inspection of the Premier Mine when a glint off the wall of the mine caught his attention. At first, he thought it was a shard of glass that may have been embedded there by a miner as a practical joke. But, then he pulled out his pocket knife and pried the object from the wall.

What he extracted was the now-famous 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, which weighed a staggering 621 grams (1.37 pounds) and measured 98mm (3.85 inches) long, 57mm wide and 67mm tall. The chairman sold the diamond to the Transvaal provincial government, which, in turn, presented the stone to Britain’s King Edward VII as a birthday gift in 1907. Wells reportedly received a $10,000 bonus for his discovery.

In February 1908, Joseph Asscher & Co. segmented the Cullinan Diamond into nine major finished stones, each of which was given the name Cullinan and a Roman numeral. Two of the gems are in the British Crown Jewels — the Great Star of Africa (Cullinan I) at 530.4 carats and the Second Star of Africa (Cullinan II) at 317.4 carats. The other seven stones remain in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II.

Cullinan (1862-1936) was knighted in 1910 in recognition of his contribution to industrial development of South Africa. At about the same time, the chairman presented his beloved wife, Annie (1866-1963), with the Edwardian-style "Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace" — a feminine and elegant piece set with 243 round colorless diamonds and nine fancy intense blue diamonds. It is said that the nine blue diamonds represent the nine major stones derived from the Cullinan Diamond.

Designed in 9-karat rose gold and silver, the necklace features a detachable double-ribbon bow motif with a dangling pendant that holds the Cullinan Blue Diamond, an oval-cut, natural fancy intense blue diamond that weighs 2.60 carats. The piece's overall diamond total weight is approximately 24.11 carats.

Throughout most of its long history, the Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace had been bequeathed to the first daughter in each generation of the Cullinan family. That tradition ended in 1992, when Anne Robinson, the great granddaughter of Thomas and Annie Cullinan, sold the necklace to jeweler Stephen Silver, president of Stephen Silver Fine Jewelry, Menlo Park, CA.

The necklace was temporarily exhibited at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, in 1994, and then formally donated by Silver to the National Gem Collection in 2010. The Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace is currently displayed at the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals, which is part of the National Museum of Natural History.

The Cullinan Blue Diamond and the the Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace shouldn't be confused with “The De Beers Cullinan Blue,” the 15.10-carat, step-cut, fancy vivid blue diamond that recently came within a whisker of setting a new world record for the priciest vivid blue diamond ever sold at auction.

Now renamed “The De Beers Blue” the stunner achieved a hammer price of $57,471,960 at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in late April. That was just short of the $57,541,779 achieved by the 14.62-carat “Oppenheimer Blue” at Christie’s Geneva in 2016.

Credits: Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace image courtesy of Smithsonian / Chip Clark, and digitally enhanced by SquareMoose. The De Beers Blue diamond photo courtesy of Sotheby's.

Glue Used by Ancient Maya Dentists to Affix Gems to Teeth Delivers Bonus Benefit

The ancient Maya are famous for erecting majestic palaces, sky-high pyramids and astronomical observatories, but did you know that they also loved to decorate their teeth with colorful gems and enjoyed excellent oral hygiene due to the all-natural glue dentists used to adhere the bling to their pearly whites?

The Maya civilization that spanned southeast Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador reached its pinnacle between 300 and 900 AD, and during that period, it was common for citizens — both rich and poor — to flash toothy smiles emblazoned with jadeite, iron pyrites, hematite, turquoise, quartz and serpentine.

Maya dentists expertly bored holes into tooth enamel and dentine and inlaid finely-shaped gems to fit the cavities. The dentists used plant-based sealants as adhesives, a technique so effective that most of the teeth recovered at Maya archaeological digs still have their stone inlays intact. The stones have held tight for more than 1,000 years.

Scientists originally believed that the Maya decorated their teeth for aesthetic or ritualistic reasons, perhaps marking a right of passage to adulthood.

But a team of researchers at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City believe that the glue-like sealant employed by dentists actually carried antibacterial properties and contributed to the society's excellent oral health. The researchers wrote that the ancient Maya believed "their breath was a link to the divine.”

Dr. Gloria Hernández Bolio and her colleagues analyzed sealants taken from eight teeth samples from different sites across the Maya empire. In all, they were able to identify 150 organic plant resin molecules, mostly from pine trees. Besides being an excellent dental adhesive, the pine resin attacks bacteria that causes tooth decay. Two of their samples contained sclareolide from Salvia plants. These are known to have antibacterial and antifungal properties.

The researchers emphasized how effective these ingredients were in promoting oral health. Study co-author, Vera Tiesler, a bioarchaeologist at the Autonomous University of Yucatán, explained that Janaab’ Pakal, the Maya king of Palenque, had nearly all of his teeth intact and none showed signs of decay when he died in 612 AD at the age of 80.

These findings were recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Credit: Image by https://www.flickr.com/photos/101561334@N08/, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Princess Diana's Wedding Tiara to Headline Special Exhibition at Sotheby's London

One of the most memorable tiaras of all time — the one worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, on her wedding day in 1981 — will highlight a Sotheby's London exhibition of more than 50 beautiful and storied headpieces spanning the ages. This is the UK's largest exhibition of tiaras in 20 years and is timed to coincide with Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, marking her 70 years on the throne.

Dubbed the Spencer Tiara, Diana's wedding day headpiece is described by Sotheby's as a delicate and harmonious series of running scrolls, interspersed with star and trumpet-shaped flowers. Elements of the piece were part of a tiara fabricated for Viscountess Montagu in 1767 and subsequently passed down through generations of the Spencer family.

Diana was said to be particularly found of the heart-shaped section in the center of the tiara because it was given to her grandmother, Lady Cynthia Hamilton, as a wedding present in 1919 when she married Viscount Althorp, the future seventh Earl Spencer.

The current incarnation of the Spencer Tiara was designed by royal jeweler Garrard in 1937 and merges components from the 18th century Montagu jewelry with those from Lady Sarah Spencer’s collection. In addition to wearing the headpiece during her nuptials, Diana reportedly wore it on many subsequent occasions, including state dinners and overseas tours.

Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, loaned the cherished tiara to Sotheby's for the special exhibition. It's the first time the historic Spencer Tiara has been on display in London since the 1960s.

“The Queen’s Jubilee celebrations have given us the perfect opportunity to put on public display an outstanding selection of tiaras from noble and royal provenance, many of which have not been exhibited in decades," noted Kristian Spofforth, head of jewelry at Sotheby’s London. "The sourcing of these jewels has been a labor of love, resulting in an exhibition that showcases the best iterations within the tiara style register, through some of its most famous incarnations – including the much-loved and photographed Spencer Tiara."

Sotheby's exhibition is titled "Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras" and will run from May 28 through June 15 at its London showroom on New Bond Street. Admission is free. The showroom is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends noon until 5 p.m. The exhibition will be closed on June 5.

Credits: Images courtesy of Sotheby's.

Music Friday: Taylor Swift's Juliet Gets Her Prince (and a Ring) in ‘Love Story’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Taylor Swift's Juliet gets her prince (and a ring) in the mega-hit, “Love Story.”

Back in 2008, an 18-year-old Swift released a semi-autobiographical song about Juliet, a teenager whose love interest is despised by her family and friends. Even though her dad forbids his daughter to date the young Romeo, Swift’s character steals away with him. The story, which is based on real events in Swift’s life, is spun with key elements from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

But, instead of having a tragic ending, Swift’s version ends with a proposal and an engagement ring (the only part of the song that’s not based on fact). Swift sings, “He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said… / Marry me, Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone / I love you, and that’s all I really know / I talked to your dad. Go pick out a white dress / It’s a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes'.”

Swift told the Los Angeles Times why she decided to put a happy ending on Shakespeare’s tragedy.

“I was really inspired by that story, except for the ending,” she said. “I feel like they had such promise and they were so crazy for each other. And if that had just gone a little bit differently, it could have been the best love story ever told. And it is one of the best love stories ever told, but it’s a tragedy. I thought, why can’t you… make it a happy ending and put a key change in the song and turn it into a marriage proposal?”

Songfacts.com reports that Swift was so excited when the pre-chorus lyrics came into her head, that she grabbed her guitar, sat on her bedroom floor and wrote the song in 20 minutes. Some of Swift fans believe the song relates to her relationship with Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers.

“Love Story,” which was the lead single from Swift’s second studio album Fearless, was the singer’s biggest seller (only to be surpassed by "Shake It Off" in 2014). With more than eight million copies sold worldwide, "Love Story" also ranks in the top tier of the most successful singles of all time. Music critics at the time wrote that “Love Story” established Swift as a “true princess of pop.”

Born in Wyomissing, Pa., Swift was not an average schoolgirl. By the time she was 11, Swift was already performing regularly at karaoke contests, festivals and fairs near her home in Berks County. When she was 14, her parents moved the family to Nashville, where Swift would be better positioned to pursue a career in country music. At the age of 17, Swift was topping the country charts.

Now 32 years old, Swift is one of the best-selling musicians of all time. She has sold more than 200 million records, nabbed 11 Grammy Awards and topped the Billboard Hot 100 eight times.

Please check out the video of Swift performing "Love Story" during a "Live on Letterman" concert. The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Love Story”
Written and performed by Taylor Swift.

We were both young when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts:
I’m standing there on a balcony in summer air.

See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.
See you make your way through the crowd
And say, “Hello, ”
Little did I know…

That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet”
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you, “Please don’t go”
And I said…

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I’ll be waiting; all that’s left to do is run.
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess,
It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”.

So I sneak out to the garden to see you.
We keep quiet ’cause we’re dead if they knew
So close your eyes… escape this town for a little while.
Oh, oh.

‘Cause you were Romeo – I was a scarlet letter,
And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet”
But you were everything to me,
I was begging you, “Please don’t go”
And I said…

Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I’ll be waiting; all that’s left to do is run.
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess.
It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”.

Romeo, save me, they’re trying to tell me how to feel.
This love is difficult but it’s real.
Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess.
It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”.

Oh, oh, oh.

I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around.
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town.
And I said…

Romeo, save me, I’ve been feeling so alone.
I keep waiting for you but you never come.
Is this in my head? I don’t know what to think.
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said…

Marry me, Juliet, you’ll never have to be alone.
I love you, and that’s all I really know.
I talked to your dad – go pick out a white dress
It’s a love story, baby, just say, “Yes”.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.

‘Cause we were both young when I first saw you

Credit: Screen captures via YouTube / Taylor Swift.

Man Proposes With Still-Warm Ring After Firefighters Salvage It From Scorched Car

Crews from the Williamson County Fire Rescue couldn't save a burning vehicle on Interstate 840 in Tennessee last week, but they were able to salvage a charred ring box hidden under a seat that contained a very special piece of jewelry.

The fact that the diamond engagement ring was the only item to survive the blaze seemed like "a sign" to Myers Hart, so he wasted no time proposing to Brooklyn Stevens on the roadside with the rescue crew documenting the event with still photos and a video.

A shocked Stevens reported that the ring was still warm from the fire when Hart slipped it on her finger.

Early last week, the high school sweethearts and Stevens' best friend had been driving a rental car just south of Nashville on Interstate 840 when they heard a loud bang. They quickly pulled over to the side of the road and realized the car was on fire.

When the Williamson County Fire Rescue crews arrived only a few minutes later, the car was already 80% consumed by flames.

Hart and the friend knew the ring was hidden in the car, but they could only watch helplessly as the fire squad worked to douse the flames.

When it was finally safe to approach the vehicle, the friend whispered to the firefighters that a ring box was hidden under one of the seats.

“We started sifting through all the ashes and everything and it was melted against the seat," Fire Engineer Steve Hopkins told NBC affiliate WSMV-TV, "and actually it was perfectly encased in the ring box. I opened it up and [the ring] looked brand new, so it was really a miracle.”

Hart had purchased the engagement ring two weeks earlier and was planning a proposal. But, now, with a charred ring box in hand, Hart went down on one knee and asked Stevens to marry him.

At first, Stevens wasn't sure how to respond, as the car smoldered nearby.

Here's how Stevens described the scene for WSMV-TV: “He gets on one knee and I’m like, ‘Here?’ and I started crying. I said, ‘Here? Right now? Like the car just caught on fire. Are you serious? I mean, yes! Yes, of course I want to. But, like the car. And he was like, 'I know.'”

Stevens said, "Yes," the two embraced and Hart placed the still-toasty engagement ring on her finger.

The Williamson County Fire Rescue posted photos of the scorched car and scenes from the unusual proposal on its official Facebook page. The agency wished the future bride and groom many years of happiness and thanked Fire Engineers Terry Burress and Hopkins, as well as Firefighter Mitchell Greenham for making the couple's Monday afternoon a little more special.

Credits: Images via Facebook / Williamson Fire-Rescue.

Kourtney Kardashian Confesses That She Flattened Her New Engagement Ring

On the most recent episode of The Kardashians, Kourtney Kardashian confessed to mom Kris Jenner that she accidentally flattened her $1 million engagement ring while tidying up her closet.

In the one-minute exchange, Jenner asks to see the oval-cut diamond engagement ring that Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker gave her daughter in October during a surprise proposal at the beachfront Rosewood Miramar Hotel in Montecito, CA.

"Oh my gosh," said Jenner. "Can you believe that you are engaged? Where's the ring?"

"I am covering it because it is actually getting fixed," Kardashian responded. "This is probably one of the worst things I've ever done in my whole life."

Kardashian went on to explain how she had taken off the ring and set it on the floor while she was folding sweatshirts in her closet. She figured that it would be safe right next to her. But it wasn't.

"So, then I had to get something up above in my closet, and when I stepped down, I stepped on the ring," she winced.

The ring didn't have a chance because it was designed with an ultra-thin pavé diamond band. While dainty bands are trendy, they do require extra care because they can be bent or broken easily. The oval diamond is estimated to be as large as 15 carats with a value upwards of $1 million.

"I was like hysterically crying in my closet for like hours," Kardashian told her mom. "And then I called Travis and I was like, 'I did something really, really bad.'"

While Barker handled the news calmly, Kardashian was still an emotional wreck.

She said, "It gave me a nervous breakdown. I was like, 'This is the most beautiful thing in my entire life and how could I have done that?'"

In a cutaway confessional, Kardashian went on to explain that she felt extra guilt because of the time and effort Barker dedicated to picking the perfect stone and designing the perfect setting.

"Travis picked it out," Kardashian said. "He designed it. He looked at so many stones and [said] that this was me in a stone. So I thought that was really special."

While Season 1 Episode 5 of The Kardashians (airing on Hulu) made news on Thursday due to Kourtney's engagement ring faux pas, the Poosh founder and her new fiancé were back in the headlines on Sunday when they officially tied the knot in Santa Barbara. A Kardashian family insider told People magazine that the couple had to legally marry ahead of "their big Italian wedding, which is happening very soon."

Credits: Photos via Instagram.com / kourtneykardash.

Marc Anthony Pops the Question With 10-Carat Emerald-Cut Diamond Ring

It's official. Marc Anthony popped the question to Miss Universe finalist Nadia Ferreira with a 10-carat diamond ring during her 23rd birthday celebration at Disney World in Orlando.

The Paraguayan model revealed the ring in an Instagram Story on Thursday. In the photo, Anthony is caressing his fianceé's hand and the three-stone ring can be seen peeking out between his ring finger and middle finger. She tagged Anthony in a caption that simply read, "Engagement Party!!!" with the three exclamation points followed by a diamond-ring emoji.

The actual ring, which is reportedly worth $500,000, features an emerald-cut center stone flanked by smaller tapered baguettes. The clean, symmetrical, three-stone motif is steeped in symbolism, as it represents the model’s past, present and future.

Made popular during the 1920’s Art Deco movement, the emerald cut continues to convey an understated, regal elegance. The stepped facets allow the admirer to see clearly into the stone, revealing its perfection.

Interestingly, the ring shares the design Anthony chose for ex-wife Jennifer Lopez in 2004. That ring was reportedly designed by Harry Winston, featured a blue diamond center stone and was valued at $4 million. Lopez is currently engaged (for the second time) to Ben Affleck.

Anthony, 53, met Ferreira earlier this year and made their relationship Instagram-official with romantic vacation posts in March. Ferreira earned the title of Miss Universe Paraguay 2021 and and went on to become the 1st Runner-Up at the Miss Universe pageant in Israel in December of 2021.

Ferreira has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of positive feedback since she announced the engagement. In an Instagram snap showing the couple posing in front of Cinderella's Castle, she wrote, "I am speechless seeing all your messages of so much love and good wishes, thank you very much. What a Birthday! #23."

The caption, which was written in her native Spanish and translated above, included three fun emojis: a happy face emoji wearing a party hat and blowing a party horn, a birthday cake and a shower of gold sparkles.

The tattooed black rectangle at the base of Anthony's left ring finger masks what used to be Lopez's initials. He covered up the tat after their separation in 2011. Anthony and Lopez are the parents of 14-year-old twins Max and Emme.

Credits: Images via Instagram / nadiatferreira.

Music Friday: Jana Kramer Misses Out on Bridal Jewelry in 2015's 'I Got the Boy'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Jana Kramer sings about her first love and how she ended up with a class ring instead of bridal jewelry in her 2015 release, "I Got the Boy."

As the song opens, Kramer describes how she spotted honeymoon pics of her high school sweetheart in the pages of a local newspaper. She reminisces about the thrill of falling in love and the big dreams they shared. But, now, all that's left of the relationship is a class ring.

Kramer sings, “I got the first kiss and she’ll get the last / She’s got the future and I got the past / I got the class ring, she got the diamond and wedding band / I got the boy and she got the man.”

“I Got the Boy” struck a personal chord with Kramer, who has always wanted to pen a song about her high school sweetheart but could never get it on paper. Fortunately, the writing team of Connie Harrington, Tim Nichols and Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney’s sister) nailed her sentiments perfectly, using jewelry to represent the difference between young love and a mature relationship.

Kramer was introduced to the song by her producer, Scott Hendricks.

“I started bawling,” she told Billboard magazine. “That’s the story. Those are the words that I couldn’t write. It was 100% true. I’m very fortunate that the song came about. It’s my life.”

Released in 2015, “I Got the Boy” is the second single from Kramer's second studio album, Thirty One. The song was certified Gold, selling a half-million copies, and ascended to #5 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and #56 on U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song also charted in Canada, topping out at #22 on the Billboard Canadian Country chart and #85 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.

Kramer told Billboard in 2015 that the song has resonated with her fan base, even the men who see it from the opposite perspective.

“On my Twitter, people are saying things like, ‘I got the girl, not the woman.’ It goes both ways, for sure,” she noted.

Born Jana Rae Kramer in Rochester Hills, Mich., the 38-year-old singer also has an impressive resume of acting credits, including a four-year run as Alex Dupre on The WB television series One Tree Hill. She began her music career in 2012 with the release of her single “Why Ya Wanna.”

Kramer admitted to Billboard that it stung a bit when she learned that her high school boyfriend was married with two children.

“But I’ve got someone else’s ‘boy’ now,” she said, “so all’s well that ends well.”

The singer-actress was referring to former Washington Redskins tight end Mike Caussin, who she married in 2015. They had two children together, but sadly divorced in the spring of 2021.

Please check out the video of Kramer's live performance of "I Got the Boy.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“I Got The Boy”
Written by Connie Harrington, Tim Nichols and Jamie Lynn Spears. Performed by Jana Kramer.

I saw your picture in a paper, Honeymoon in Jamaica, she’s a lucky girl
You look so grown up in your black tux, from a ball cap in a pickup, seems like another world
You and me and our big dreams, falling in love
We were two kids in the backseat, all fearless and young

I got the first kiss and she’ll get the last
She’s got the future, and I got the past
I got the class ring, she got the diamond and a wedding band
I got the boy, she got the man

Yeah there’s an old you that I knew,
Fake IDs to get into those spring break bars
Back woods on a four wheel, hanging on tight, I can still feel my racing heart
And now you’re cleaned up with a hair cut, nice tie and shoes
If things were different and I had a choice, which would I choose?

I got the first kiss and she’ll get the last
She’s got the future and I got the past
I got the class ring, she got the diamond and a wedding band
I got the boy and she got the man

I got the first kiss and she’ll get the last
We each got something, the other will never have
I got the long hair, hot head
She got the cool and steady hand
I got the boy and she got the man
I got the boy and she got the man

Credit: Screen capture via Youtube.com / Jana Kramer.

Two Diamonds Larger Than 200 Carats Star at Christie's Magnificent Jewels Sale

Two diamonds larger than 200 carats shared top billing at Christie's Magnificent Jewels Sale in Geneva last night. "The Rock," the 228.31-carat, pear-shaped gem touted as the largest white diamond ever to appear for sale at auction, fetched 21.68 million Swiss francs ($21.84 million), while the 205-carat, long-standing symbol of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the "Red Cross Diamond," earned 14.18 million Swiss francs ($14.29 million).

Designated as Lot 26, The Rock found a buyer within two minutes. Bidding started at 14 million Swiss francs and accelerated in increments of 500,000 until it hit 18 million Swiss francs. After three smaller bids, auctioneer Rahul Kadakia smashed the hammer down at 18.6 million. The final price, which fell in the lower range of the pre-sale estimate of 19 million to 30 million, included the buyer's premium.

About the size of a chicken egg, The Rock was accompanied by a letter from the Gemological Institute of America stating that it is the largest existing D-to-Z color, pear-shaped diamond ever graded by the laboratory. The GIA gave it a color grading of G and a clarity grading of VS1.

The Red Cross Diamond (Lot 61) entered the sale with an estimated value of 10 million Swiss francs. Bidding started at 6 million and climbed methodically upward in increments of 500,000 all the way to 10.5 million. At that juncture, auctioneer Max Fawcett allowed bids in increments of 50,000. After 11 minutes and 32 individual bids, Faucett closed the bidding at 12.05 million Swiss francs. With the buyer's premium, the final tally was 4 million Swiss francs higher than expected.

This was the third appearance of The Red Cross Diamond at Christie’s. In April of 1918, the stone was first offered for sale at Christie’s London by the Diamond Syndicate in aid of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St John, whose symbol is the Maltese cross. A striking feature of the faceted gem is the eight-pointed Maltese Cross, which is clearly visible on the table facet of the diamond.

The cushion modified brilliant-cut diamond, which carries a color grade of fancy intense yellow and a clarity grade of VS2, was purchased by the famous London firm S.J. Phillips for a then-staggering £10,000 (approximately $786,000 today). Now 104 years later, the sale of the 205.07-carat canary yellow diamond will benefit the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The most surprising performer of the evening was an exceptional 19th century natural pearl and diamond tiara once owned by the Fürstenbergs, one of the most important aristocratical families in the Habsburg Empire. The cleverly designed tiara was estimated to earn 400,000 to 600,000 Swiss francs. Instead, it fetched 2.39 million Swiss francs ($2.4 million), nearly four times the high estimate.

Designed by Gustav Flach in the late 1800s, the tiara could take on so many looks, depending on the elements that were added or subtracted from the original piece. By removing the diamond motives, the 23 natural pearls seemed to just hang among the hair. The wearer could remove the smaller pearls and leave the big ones, or remove all the pearls and wear the tiara with just the diamond motives. The pearls could be removed and replaced by other precious stones. What's more, each of the diamond motives could be linked together to create a necklace, or worn individually as a brooch or hair pin.

Credits: Images courtesy of Christie’s.

Documentary Shows Young Princess Elizabeth Delighted With Her Engagement Ring

In honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee marking her 70 years on the British throne, the BBC will air a documentary that includes previously unseen footage of the monarch as a young princess beaming with delight as she admires her new engagement ring.

Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen features a clip of Prince Philip's first extended visit to Balmoral — the Scottish holiday home of the royal family — in 1946, when the future queen was 20 years old and the couple's engagement was still not public. Princess Elizabeth can be seen smiling and showing the camera the 3-carat round diamond ring.

The center stone and 10 accent diamonds used in the platinum ring crafted by London jeweler Philip Antrobus Ltd. were harvested from a tiara owned by Prince Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who was Queen Victoria's great-granddaughter. The remaining diamonds from the tiara were made into a wide bracelet that Philip gave Elizabeth as a wedding gift.

According to Town and Country, the diamonds in Elizabeth's new jewelry dated back to the very end of the Romanov dynasty. Philip's mother had been given the tiara on her wedding day by Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra of Russia, the last rulers of the Russian Empire. It turns out that Princess Alice was a distant relative of the Russian monarchs.

The documentary will follow the monarch's life as a princess through her own eyes and her own words. The BBC has been granted special access to hundreds of private home movies shot by the Royal Family. It covers the Queen's life from childhood through her wedding in 1947 and concludes with her coronation at the age of 27 in 1953.

Elizabeth and Phillip where married for 73 years. The Duke of Edinburgh died in April 2021, just a few months before his 100th birthday. The Queen turned 96 on April 21.

BBC Studios reviewed more than 400 reels of film, privately held by the Royal Collection in the vaults of the British Film Institute (BFI). Filmmakers also listened to over three hundred of the Queen's speeches across 80 years.

"This documentary is an extraordinary glimpse into a deeply personal side of the Royal Family that is rarely seen," said Simon Young, the BBC's commissioning editor for history, "and it's wonderful to be able to share it with the nation as we mark her Platinum Jubilee."

The documentary will debut on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on May 29.

Credits: Screen grabs courtesy of BBC.