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Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond
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<h2 id="wittelsbach-diamond">Wittelsbach Diamond</h2> <p>The original Wittelsbach Diamond, also known as Der Blaue Wittelsbacher,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> was a 35.56-carat (7.112 g) fancy, deep, greyish-blue diamond with <a href="/facts/Diamond_clarity/CyJ4V2X7">VS2 clarity</a> that had been part of both the <a href="/facts/Austrian_Crown_Jewels/dD15nRHn">Austrian</a> and the <a href="/facts/Bavarian_Crown_Jewels/db4fj8rh">Bavarian Crown Jewels</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p><p>Its colour and clarity had been compared to the <a href="/facts/Hope_Diamond/kBlahyRM">Hope Diamond</a>. The diamond had measured 24.40 millimetres (0.961 in) in diameter and 8.29 millimetres (0.326 in) in depth. It had 82 facets arranged in an atypical pattern. The star facets on the crown were vertically split, and the pavilion had sixteen needle-like facets arranged in pairs, pointing outward from the <a href="/facts/Culet/N6eJCEns">culet</a> facet.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>The diamond originates from the <a href="/facts/Kollur_mine/XdoHoJuG">Kollur mines</a> of <a href="/facts/Guntur_District/2dX5jwp5">Guntur District</a> in <a href="/facts/Andhra_Pradesh/d51Lb0kX">Andhra Pradesh</a>, <a href="/facts/India/QW4TV4sy">India</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> The story that <a href="/facts/Philip_IV_of_Spain/rRqh2K8f">Philip IV of Spain</a> purchased the jewel and included it in the dowry of his teenage daughter, <a href="/facts/Margaret_Theresa_of_Spain/ff0JtAnJ">Margaret Teresa</a>, in 1664 is apocryphal. The first time the diamond was mentioned is about fifty years later when it was already in <a href="/facts/Vienna/NSpIURsA">Vienna</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> It was in the possession of the <a href="/facts/Habsburg/0ttzWDwA">Habsburg</a> family and came to <a href="/facts/Munich/Pr6zw2ev">Munich</a> when, in 1722, <a href="/facts/Maria_Amalia%2c_Holy_Roman_Empress/kUFzMUXS">Maria Amalia</a> married <a href="/facts/Charles_VII%2c_Holy_Roman_Emperor/S2fDjES0">Charles of Bavaria</a>, a member of the <a href="/facts/House_of_Wittelsbach/Mv1z57dI">Wittelsbach family</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p>In 1745, the Wittelsbach Diamond was first mounted on the Bavarian Elector's <a href="/facts/Order_of_the_Golden_Fleece/jqPJ03W7">Order of the Golden Fleece</a>. When <a href="/facts/Maximilian_I_Joseph_of_Bavaria/4pJMAzcS">Maximilian IV Joseph</a> became the first king of Bavaria in 1806, he commissioned a royal crown that prominently displayed the diamond. Until 1918, the jewel remained on top of the Bavarian crown. It was seen last in public at <a href="/facts/Ludwig_III_of_Bavaria/4TaJPC1o">Ludwig III of Bavaria</a>'s funeral in 1921.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> </p><p>The Wittelsbach family tried to sell the diamond in 1931 during the <a href="/facts/Great_Depression/5K13wcg0">Great Depression</a> but found no buyers. It eventually sold the jewel in 1951.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> In 1958, the stone was exhibited at the <a href="/facts/Expo_58/926hwbJn">World Expo in Brussels</a>. In the 1960s, the Goldmuntz family asked Joseph Komkommer, a jeweller, to re-cut the diamond, but Komkommer recognised its historical significance and refused. Instead, he joined a group of dealers that bought it.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> The diamond had been in a private collection since 1964;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Helmut_Horten/6XTqgHRW">Helmut Horten</a> had presented it to his wife Heidi at their wedding.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p><p>On 10 December 2008, the 35.56-carat (7.112 g) Wittelsbach Diamond was sold to London-based jeweller <a href="/facts/Laurence_Graff/EoGf0dk1">Laurence Graff</a> for £16.4 million sterling, or US$23.4 million, at the time the highest price ever paid at auction for a diamond. (The previous record had been held by a pear-shaped 100-carat (20 g) stone named the Star of the Season.) The record was eclipsed on 16 November 2010, when a 24.78 carat pink diamond was sold for £29 million Sterling, or US$46 million, again to Mr. Graff.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> </p><p>In June 2011, Graff apparently sold the diamond to the former emir of Qatar, <a href="/facts/Hamad_bin_Khalifa_Al_Thani/JpjPv1dl">Hamad bin Khalifa</a>, for at least US$80 million.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p> <h3>Alteration</h3> <blockquote><p>If you discovered a <a href="/facts/Leonardo_da_Vinci/E83tcPl2">Leonardo da Vinci</a> with a tear in it and covered in mud, you would want to repair it. We have similarly cleaned up the diamond and repaired damage caused over the years.</p>— Francois Graff<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a></blockquote> <p>Immediately following the sale in 2008, Graff announced his intention to recut the gem to remove damage to the <a href="/facts/Culet/N6eJCEns">girdle</a> and enhance the colour.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> </p><p>On 7 January 2010, it was reported that the diamond had been recut to enhance the stone's colour and clarity, losing over 4.45 carats (890 mg) in the process. The resulting stone has been renamed the Wittelsbach-Graff. The move was met with heavy criticism by some experts: <a href="/facts/Gabriel_Tolkowsky/AoX2ohUE">Gabriel Tolkowsky</a> called it "the end of culture."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> Shortly after the auction of the diamond, American gem cutter and replicator of famous diamonds Scott Sucher stated, "In the case of the Wittelsbach, what's at stake is at minimum over 350 years of history, as every nick, chip, and scratch has a story to tell. Just because we can't decipher these stories doesn't mean they don't exist."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> The alteration of the historical stone has been compared by Professor Hans Ottomeyer, director of the <a href="/facts/Deutsches_Historisches_Museum/S93ohvpc">Deutsches Historisches Museum</a> of Berlin, to the overpainting of a painting by <a href="/facts/Rembrandt/LPDxP9XQ">Rembrandt</a>. It is opined that the recutting was done to increase its market value and, by extension, that of other "fancy diamonds".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> As a result of the recut, which removed some chips and reduced the size of the culet by 40%, the gem has been re-evaluated by the <a href="/facts/Gemological_Institute_of_America/VtP658vj">Gemological Institute of America</a> and its colour grade revised from "fancy deep grayish-blue", the same grade given by GIA to The Hope, to the more desirable "fancy deep blue". The diamond's clarity had also been revised upward from "very slightly included" (VS1) to "internally flawless" (IF). </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_diamonds/h2HwsP6n">List of famous diamonds</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_individual_gemstones/MIPsYW2v">List of individual gemstones</a></li></ul> <h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2> <ul><li>Rudolf Dröschel, Jürgen Evers, Hans Ottomeyer: <i>The Wittelsbach Blue</i>, in: <i>Gems and Gemology</i> <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0016-626X">0016-626X</a>, 44 (2008), P. 348–363</li> <li>Jürgen Evers, Leonhard Möckl, Heinrich Nöth: <i>Der Wittelsbacher und der Hope-Diamant</i>, in: <i>Chemie in Unserer Zeit</i> <a href="/facts/ISSN_(identifier)/DPAflDvU">ISSN</a> <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0009-2851">0009-2851</a>, 46 (2012), P. 356–364</li> <li>Wise, Richard W., <i>Secrets of the Gem Trade, The Connoisseur's Guide To Precious gemstones</i>, <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-9728223-8-0 Fancy Blue Diamonds, p. 235–236</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <p> Media related to Wittelsbach Graff Diamond at Wikimedia Commons </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Recut and Renamed Wittels Diamond to Face Public and Critics". The New York Times. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 22 January 2010. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/fashion/07DIAMONDS.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/fashion/07DIAMONDS.html?pagewanted=1&8dpc</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"World's most famous 'unseen' diamond". BBC News. 30 January 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2025. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8488183.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8488183.stm</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"World's most famous 'unseen' diamond". BBC News. 30 January 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2025. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8488183.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8488183.stm</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Der Blaue Wittelsbacher". Haute Living blog. hauteliving.com. 4 November 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2010. <a href="https://www.hauteliving.com/blog/jewelry/der-blaue-wittelsbacher/" target="_blank">https://www.hauteliving.com/blog/jewelry/der-blaue-wittelsbacher/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Christie's Press Release" (PDF). 3 November 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008. <a href="http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/11042008/115110.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/11042008/115110.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>enter your name here. "The Wittelsbach Diamond". tripod.com. <a href="http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/wittelsbachdiamond.html" target="_blank">http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/wittelsbachdiamond.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Schulz M (25 January 2010). "Schleifstein der Schande" (in German). Der Spiegel. Retrieved 30 January 2010. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Schulz M (25 January 2010). "Schleifstein der Schande" (in German). Der Spiegel. Retrieved 30 January 2010. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>"Diamond sells for recession-busting $24.3 M". CNN. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview" target="_blank">http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Christie's Press Release" (PDF). 3 November 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008. <a href="http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/11042008/115110.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.christies.com/presscenter/pdf/11042008/115110.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Diamond sells for recession-busting $24.3 M". CNN. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview" target="_blank">http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Dröschel/Evers/Ottomeyer (Lit.) <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>"Bavaria considers bid to bring mysterious Wittelsbach diamond home". The Times. 7 November 2008. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2008. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110604153906/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5101394.ece" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20110604153906/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5101394.ece</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>"Diamond sells for recession-busting $24.3 M". CNN. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview" target="_blank">http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Schulz M (25 January 2010). "Schleifstein der Schande" (in German). Der Spiegel. Retrieved 30 January 2010. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>"BBC News – Rare pink diamond sells for record-breaking 拢29m". BBC News. 16 November 2010. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11764757" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11764757</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Evers/Möckl/Nöth (Lit.), P. 363 <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"World's most famous 'unseen' diamond". BBC News. 30 January 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2025. <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8488183.stm" target="_blank">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8488183.stm</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"Diamond sells for recession-busting $24.3 M". CNN. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008. <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview" target="_blank">http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/11/diamond.record/index.html?iref=mpstoryview</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Richard W. Wise. "New Dope: Who Cut the Hope ...Diamond?". gemwiseblogspotcom.blogspot.com. <a href="http://gemwiseblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/really-blues-hope-wittelsbach-diamonds.html" target="_blank">http://gemwiseblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2009/01/really-blues-hope-wittelsbach-diamonds.html</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>"Earth Times: show/245562,historic-diamond-fetches-16-million-pounds-at-london-auction.html". earthtimes.org. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20121022045014/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/245562,historic-diamond-fetches-16-million-pounds-at-london-auction.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20121022045014/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/245562,historic-diamond-fetches-16-million-pounds-at-london-auction.html</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Schulz M (25 January 2010). "Schleifstein der Schande" (in German). Der Spiegel. Retrieved 30 January 2010. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>"Museum Diamonds – Scott Sucher – Wittelsbach – Museum Diamonds". museumdiamonds.com. Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120203205257/http://www.museumdiamonds.com/~scottsuc/index.php/wittelsbach.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120203205257/http://www.museumdiamonds.com/~scottsuc/index.php/wittelsbach.html</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:24"><p>Schulz M (25 January 2010). "Schleifstein der Schande" (in German). Der Spiegel. Retrieved 30 January 2010. <a href="http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html" target="_blank">http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,674059,00.html</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>