The highly anticipated auction of the renowned Star of Egypt diamond took place at Christie's London in Geneva, marking the first time this historic gem has ever been offered for sale. With a captivating backstory and a rich historical lineage, the Star of Egypt captured the attention of collectors and enthusiasts worldwide.
A tiara worn at two British coronations and the Star of Egypt diamond that purportedly once belonged to King Farouk sold at auction on Wednesday, crowning a week of dazzling jewellery sales in Geneva.
The entire Christie’s Magnificent Jewels sale totalled nearly 41.2 million Swiss francs, with 11 of the lots going for more than US$1 million each.
Early Origins and Transformation
The diamond's early origins remain shrouded in uncertainty, with conflicting reports suggesting either of Indian or Brazilian origin. The stone first reportedly appeared in 1850 and was said to have been immediately acquired by the Khedive of Egypt.
Mentions of large diamond accounts unearthed in Brazil refer to an oval-shaped rough weighing 250 carats named ''Sta of Egypt''. Khedive was a title of honor of Persian origin used most famously for the viceroy of Egypt from 1805 to 1914.
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Referred to as the ‘Star of Egypt,’ this remarkable gem emerged in 1850, allegedly acquired immediately by the Khedive of Egypt, Abdel Hamid II. The Egpytian ruler reportedly sold the Star of Egypt in 1880, and it was then re-fashioned into an emerald shape by its new owner. The stone underwent a transformation when it was sold in 1880, being expertly re-cut into an elegant emerald shape.
The stone later appeared in 1939 on the London market at its present weight.
King Farouk and Subsequent Disappearance
Intriguingly, the Star of Egypt resurfaced in 1939 on the London market, maintaining its present weight. It exchanged hands over the years, with reports suggesting it had once belonged to Egypt's extravagant King Farouk, who was known for his opulent lifestyle and extensive collection of jewellery and treasures. King Farouk, who ruled from 1936 to 1952, was known for his lavish lifestyle that included an extensive collection of coins and cars, and an equally impressive jewelry collection.
One report indicates it may have been later purchased by Egypt's King Farouk. The collection included the 94.78 ct Star of the East and the 726 ct D-color, Flawless Jonker diamond.
However, after his exile in 1952, the diamond, along with other precious gems, disappeared, reemerging years later. Both vanished after his exile in 1952 and didn't reappear until several years later.
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ЮАР призвала Британию вернуть бриллиант Звезда Африки из королевского скипетра.
Auction Debut and Historic Significance
Having remained in private ownership within the same family since the 1970s, the Star of Egypt has finally made its long-awaited auction debut. Bidders eagerly vied for the opportunity to possess this exceptional gem, resulting in a swift and spirited auction that concluded in under three minutes.
Today the Star of Egypt is a spectacular 105.52 carat rectangular step-cut [ diamond that has remained in ] private ownership over [all these years and is now being offered for auction for the first time in it’s history.]
The historic pieces went under the hammer at Christie’s, the day after Sotheby’s auction house sold a Bulgari blue diamond for more than US$25 million.
The Bessborough Diamond Tiara
Less than a fortnight after the coronation of Britain’s King Charles, bidders fought it out for the Bessborough Diamond Tiara, which was worn at the coronations of King Charles’ grandfather King George VI in 1937 and mother Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
Vere Ponsonby, the ninth Earl of Bessborough, commissioned the Parisian jeweller Chaumet to craft a tiara for his wife to mark his appointment as Canada’s governor-general in 1931. She wore it to the coronations.
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The platinum art deco headpiece sold for US$1 million (945,000 Swiss francs). “This is as iconic as it gets in terms of the style. The workmanship is unbelievable,” said Max Fawcett, the head of jewellery at Christie’s in Geneva, who sold the tiara. “It’s a piece of art and a piece of history,” he told AFP.
The Star of the Season
The name Star of the Season appears to have been given by the present owner of the diamond Sheik Ahmed Hassan Fitaihi, the renowned Saudi jeweler, and collector and connoisseur of diamonds, who purchased the stone in 1995 for a record sum of $ 16,500,000, the highest amount paid for a diamond at any auction in the world. The Sheik had named two other diamonds in his collection as The Star of the Desert, and The Star of Happiness, and another diamond as The Red Sea Star.
The diamond is a D-color, internally flawless, pear shaped stone, weighing 100.10 carats. The size of the diamond, its color, exceptional clarity, and the pear-shaped cut , all contributed in making this diamond a very rare and unusual stone, and the buyers who inspected the stone before the auctions were convinced of its uniqueness, and predicted a competitive bidding for its acquisition.
The auction hall was packed to capacity with many famous international bidders that included the Saudi jeweler, diamond collector, and connoisseur Sheik Ahmed Hassan Fitaihi. By the time auction started the atmosphere in the hall was fully charged and tense.
The bidding was intense and competitive and Sheik Fitaihi was determined to acquire the diamond at any cost. The price of the diamond escalated rapidly, after the bidders tried to outbid one another, and finally the auctioneer knocked down the diamond in favor of Sheik Ahmed Hassan Fitaihi for a record sum of US $ 16,500,000. This turned out to be the highest amount paid for a diamond at any auction in the world. The 100.10-carat Star of the Season goes down in history as the most expensive diamond ever sold at an auction.
Immediately after the acquisition of the diamond by Sheik Fitaihi, an offer was made for the diamond at a price substantially higher than the purchase price, but being a collector and connoisseur of diamonds the Sheik turned down the offer.
Sheik Ahmed Hassan Fitaihi is presently the Chairman and the C.E.O. of the Fitaihi Company based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Sheik has become a force to be reckoned with at international jewelry auctions. The Sheik, together with Robert Mouawad of Mouawad Jewelers and Laurence Graff of Graff Diamonds, have been responsible for some of the astonishing and record diamond prices achieved in recent years.
Famous Diamonds from Brazil
The Star of the South (128.80 cts), the Star of Egypt (106.75 cts), the English Dresden - not to be confused with the Dresden Green - (76.50 cts), the President Vargas, and the Maximilian diamonds are among the most prestigious diamonds from Brazil. All of them have their own fascinating histories.
Star of the East
The Star of The East, a 94.80-carat pear shaped diamond mounted beneath an emerald as a pendant on a chain was sold to Evelyn McClean Walsh (owner at the time of the Hope diamond) by Pierre Cartier.
The exact circumstances under which the diamond came into the possession of the Sultan are not known. Even the origin of the name and at what point in its history it was christened remain a mystery. The stone first surfaced in the collection of the Sultan Abdul Hamid.
The "Star of the East" is a 94.78-carat, pear-shaped, D-color stone of VS2 clarity grade. The Star of the East's exact origin is unknown, but it likely originated from one of the five groups of mines that were situated on the eastern side of the Deccan Plateau in Southern and Central India.
In 1908, Evelyn Walsh McLean purchased the stone for $120,000 from Cartier while on a honeymoon with her husband Edward Beale McLean.
Winston sold the Star of the East to King Farouk of Egypt, but never received payment for it. Several years after King Farouk's overthrow in 1952, the Egyptian government recognized Winston's claim, and the stone was eventually returned to him.
Other Notable Diamonds
There is the largest diamond ever to appear at auction which will lead the Geneva Magnificent Jewels sale on May 11, 2022. This massive gem has been named ROCK and is a 228.31-carat exceptional stone.
Around the same time this announcement was made, a well-known estate dealer M.S. Rau purchased the pear-shaped diamond necklace that Aristotle Onassis bought for his daughter Christina, who was known for her extravagant jewelry. The pendant is a 38-carat Golconda diamond, which is the purest of all diamonds, universally accepted as the finest diamonds in the world.
When the twelfth largest diamond in the world originally cut by Harry Winston went up for auction, Burton had some heavy competition in the bidding. It was purported that Aristotle Onassis was also bidding on the 69.42-carat pear-shaped diamond ring. Burton gave his representative at the auction a limit of $1 million to spend. But when the hammer went down, the ring was sold to Cartier for $50,000 more. Burton was distraught at missing out. The pear-shape ring was renamed ‘The Taylor-Burton Diamond’.
The Cullinan Diamond
The rough Cullinan was the largest diamond ever found and is named after the chairman of the mining company, Thomas Cullinan. The massive stone was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and weighted 3,106 carats in its uncut state.
After King Edward's death in 1910, King George V had Cullinan I made, an extraordinary pear-shape diamond weighing 530.2 carats, which is also called The Great Star of Africa, set in the Sovereign's Sceptre and Imperial State Crown.
Queen Elizabeth II affectionately and jokingly dubbed the pear shaped diamond brooch she inherited from Queen Mary, her grandmother ‘Granny’s Chips’. It consists of the Cullinan III which is a 92-carat pear-shape diamond hanging from the Cullinan IV, a 62-carat square-cut diamond, both of which were taken out of Queen Mary’s tiaras.
| Diamond Name | Weight (Carats) | Color | Shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star of Egypt | 105.52 | White | Rectangular Step-Cut |
| Star of the East | 94.78 | D-Color | Pear-Shaped |
| Cullinan I (Great Star of Africa) | 530.2 | - | Pear-Shaped |
| Cullinan III | 92 | - | Pear-Shaped |
| Taylor-Burton Diamond | 69.42 | - | Pear-Shaped |
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