Diamonds Trivia

1. The Eureka diamond is not the most beautiful, neither is it the largest. It has another claim to fame. What is that claim?

From Quiz The Hot Rock

Answer: The first diamond found in South Africa

The Eureka was the first diamond to be found in South Africa. In 1866 it was literally picked up from the ground by a 15 year old boy when he saw something shining in the sun. It was put on display at the 1867 Paris Exhibition, after which it returned to South Africa where the Governor of Cape Colony bought it for £500. He took it with him to America, where it stayed for the next 100 years. It was cut and polished from the rough size of 21 carats to 10.73 carats at some time during this period. 100 years after it was discovered De Beers purchased it and donated it to the South African people. It can be seen in the Kimberley Mine Museum.

From Quiz The Hardest Thing in the World

Answer: Paragon

A flawless diamond of any color that is free from all inclusions and over 99 carats is referred to as paragon. There are very few of these gemstones in the world, as most large diamonds are not flawless. The largest flawless diamond in the world in 2011 bore the name The Paragon Diamond and weighed in at 137.82 carats. It was the 10th largest white diamond in the world in 2011 and was cut in an unusual seven sided shield cut.

From Quiz The Hope Diamond

Answer: India

Tavernier made six voyages between 1631 and 1668 to India for the purpose of buying diamonds. He became a very successful gem dealer and well known celebrity. In fact, Louis XIV not only invited Tavernier to sell him gems, but to write an account of his travels.

From Quiz Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Answer: Sapphire

Diamonds are 90 times harder than the second hardest substance, which is the sapphire or ruby. The extreme hardness of diamonds is due to their amazingly tight crystalline structure. A diamond's atoms are more densely packed than any other substance. They have one "weakness" that allows them to be cut into gemstones. They can be cleaved in four directions. It takes a cutter of great skill to cut a diamond.

From Quiz Carbon Glitter

Answer: April

The birthstone for January is garnet, March has aquamarine, and November is a topaz. The birthstone for April is diamond and the two zodiacs are Aries (March 21 to April 19) and Taurus (April 20 to May 20).

From Quiz The Hot Rock

Answer: Blue

The Hope diamond may, at one time, have been part of the Blue Tavernier Diamond owned by King Louis XIV of France. This was stolen during the French revolution and many believe the Hope was cut from it, but this has never been proved. It was purchased in 1830 by Mr Hope, an English banker. Bad luck and tragedy has followed the owners ever since. His son lost his fortune shortly after inheriting the diamond. It was then bought by a widow, Mrs McLean. Her only son was killed in an accident, she lost her money and committed suicide. The diamond then came into the hands of a New York diamond dealer, but legends about it were circulating and his clients refused to have anything to do with it. It is now in the Smithsonian Institute.

From Quiz The Hope Diamond

Answer: Louis XIV

In selling the "beau violet" to Louis XIV Tavernier received $1.8 million dollars (2006 USD equivalent) and the title of Baron.

From Quiz Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Answer: Hardest naturally-occurring substance

Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth that is naturally-occurring, but they can be cut by other man-made objects.

From Quiz A Flash from the Dawn of Time: Diamonds III

Answer: Meteor strikes

Lonsdaleite is less stable than diamond, and appears to be the configuration of carbon atoms most readily formed during catastrophic changes in heat and kinetic energy.

From Quiz Cold as Ice: Diamonds II

Answer: They are semiconductors.

Type IIb diamonds tend to be blue in color. Yes, the Hope diamond is one of them.

From Quiz Adamantine Fire: the Diamond

Answer: USA

Many geologists believe that Alaska may contain commercially important deposits, but none are being developed as of 2003.

From Quiz The Hot Rock

Answer: Napoleon's step daughter

This 20 carat peach coloured stone is named after the Queen of Holland, who was Napoleon Bonaparte's step daughter, the daughter of Empress Josephine. Although not named until Napoleonic times the stone had been part of the French crown jewels since at least 1691. It is shown in an inventory of that year. In 1792 it was stolen, but was recovered a year later. Many of the French crown jewels were sold in 1887 but the Hortensia was one that was retained, and it can be seen in the Louvre.

From Quiz Carbon Glitter

Answer: 10

The diamond is a perfect ten, the highest score available on the Mohs scale. This type of measurement for hardness in a gemstone was introduced by Frederich Mohs in 1812.

From Quiz Cold as Ice: Diamonds II

Answer: the Krupp

The Taylor-Burton is a 69+ carat pear shape, which Taylor had mounted in a pendant. It was briefly named the Cartier before Burton purchased it. In 1979, she sold it to finance a hospital in Africa. The Taylor Heart is also called the Taj Mahal or the Queen Mumtaz; it is a heart-shaped Indian stone engraved with the name of its previous royal owner.

From Quiz Adamantine Fire: the Diamond

Answer: Darya-i-Noor

All of these diamonds are believed to be among those sketched and described by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a traveler and diamond broker who brought back many famous diamonds. His clients included members of the French royal house.

From Quiz The Hot Rock

Answer: The Tower of London

The Cullinan I, or Star of Africa, is set in the sceptre, which is part of the British crown jewels. These are kept in the Tower of London and can be viewed when the tower is open. This diamond was cut from the 3,106 carat Cullinan, which was discovered in South Africa. When cut this massive stone yielded ten major and ninety six smaller stones. There were signs the the Cullinan might have been part of an even larger diamond, but despite vigorous searching no sign of the other part of it has been discovered.

From Quiz The Hardest Thing in the World

Answer: Millions of years of exposure to natural radiation

This beautiful five carat diamond has a very unusual and brilliant color. It is not its size nor clarity but rather the color that makes this diamond famous. The GIA believes it got its color after billions of years of natural radiation. This diamond was included in the Smithsonian's "Splendor of Diamonds" exhibit along with other priceless diamonds of the world.

From Quiz The Hope Diamond

Answer: George IV

George IV married the Duke of Brunswick's daughter, Caroline. Married by proxy their first meeting was less than auspicious. George IV left the meeting room as soon as possible and stated, "I am not well: pray get me a glass of brandy". Caroline was older than the typical bride of the time (29 years old), lax about hygiene, coarse in manner and words, and sexually promiscuous. She was not only denied access to the King's coronation, but the right to be crowned Queen of England. The situation continued to deteriorate over time with Caroline living a rootless existence while wandering across Europe with a variety of lovers. To fund her lifestyle Caroline sold personal jewelry including the blue diamond. Although there is no record of whether George IV knew it had previously belonged to his wife it is unlikely he did not know due to the rarity of blue diamonds.

From Quiz Carbon Glitter

Answer: DeBeers

DeBeers began their involvement with diamonds in South Africa in 1869. The tag-line was first used in 1947 and was written by Frances Gerety. Another interesting fact about the company - in the James Bond Movie, "Diamonds are Forever" DeBeers was listed in the credits.

From Quiz A Flash from the Dawn of Time: Diamonds III

Answer: Mass-spectrometry analysis of minute inclusions that crystallized within the diamond

Since the inclusions crystallized at the same time as the diamond, their chemical makeup is representative of the time of formation. Radioactive atoms decay at a known rate into more stable elements. By measuring the proportions of uranium to lead, for example, it is possible to calculate how long the process has been occurring, and thus the date of formation.

From Quiz The Hot Rock

Answer: James I

The Sancy probably originated in India, but it's validated history begins in 1570 when it was purchased by Nicholas de Sancy. He loaned it to Henry III of France and Henry IV of France before selling it to James I of England. After that it was briefly owned by Charles I of England. After he was deposed his son, James, fled to France with the diamond, which he was forced to sell. It became part of the French crown jewels, but disappeared during the French revolution. It surfaced again in 1828 when it was offered for sale at an auction, was displayed at the 1867 Paris Exposition and then disappeared again, this time for forty years. In 1906 it was bought by William Astor and the Astor family held it for the next 72 years, before selling it to the Louvre museum, where it still resides.

From Quiz The Hardest Thing in the World

Answer: Brazil

Discovered in the mid 1990s, the Moussaieff Red is said to have been found in an unknown or unnamed stream, by an unknown farmer in the country of Brazil. Cut in a trillion style, it triangular shape lead to it being called "The Red Shield" until it was bought by the Moussaieff Jewelers in 2002. It is a little over five carats and is listed by the GIA as "the largest Fancy Red, natural color diamond that we have ever graded as of the date the report was issued" (2011). Red diamonds are the rarest and most valuable of the colored diamonds.

From Quiz The Hope Diamond

Answer: The blue diamond became known as the "Hope Diamond".

Being a friend of both King William IV and Hope and executor of George IV's will, the Duke of Wellington acted as an intermediary in arranging the sale of the blue diamond. Hope was a member of a wealthy merchant banking family that collected gems. His primary interest in the blue diamond was as a specimen notable only for its intrinsic properties, not historical associations and/or uses. Known for its beauty and rarity the Hope Diamond joined a collection worth $15 million dollars (2006 USD equivalent). Hope catalogued the Hope Diamond as "No. 1" and weighing 44 1/4 carats, which was then stored in Drawer #16 of his home gem cabinet.

From Quiz Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Answer: Culet

The culet is a facet cut across the tip of the diamond. Not all stones have a visible culet.

From Quiz Carbon Glitter

Answer: Volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.

The pressure of the earth and the heat combined formed diamonds. Volcanic eruptions deposited the diamonds where they would wait millions of years to be mined. It is estimated that to get one carat of rough diamond you must sift through 40-250 tons of sand and gravel.

From Quiz Cold as Ice: Diamonds II

Answer: Their origin in Brazil

The Coromandel mines are located in Minas Gerais province in Brazil.

From Quiz The Hot Rock

Answer: Mountain of Light

The Koh-i-Noor has the longest known history of any of the great diamonds of the world. The history starts in 1304 when it was the property of the Persian Emperors. It may even have been set in the fabled Peacock Throne. After the Persian empire crumbled the diamond came into Indian ownership. It was appropriated by the East India Company who presented it to Queen Victoria. She first wore it as a brooch but later had it mounted in the state crown. When first presented to Victoria it weighed 198 carats but re-cutting to set it in the crown reduced this to 108 carats.

From Quiz The Hardest Thing in the World

Answer: Black

Found in the Central African Republic, the Spirit of de Grisogono diamond is a magnificent black diamond that weighed 587 carats when found, and after cutting weighed in at 312 carats. This stone is set in a white gold ring that has over 700 white diamonds. Flamboyant to say the least.

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Last Updated Apr 22 2024 11:05 AM

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