My Brilliant Career Trivia Quiz

Answer: Henry V

First appearing in the possession of Abū Sa'īd, an Arab Muslim Prince of Grenada during the 14th century, it was taken by Don Pedro of Castile when Abū Sa'īd was killed on surrendering to him. It was then given to Edward the Black Prince (after whom the stone is named) who assisted Don Pedro in putting down a revolt around 1367.

Henry V nearly lost it to a French battle axe at Agincourt, however it remained with the English and can now be found on the Imperial State Crown along with another 3,092 gems in the UK.

By the way, it is not actually a ruby (which is made of corundum) but a red spinel (a compound of magnesium, iron, oxygen and chromium). It was not until the late 18th century that chemists could tell the difference.

Answer: Henry VIII

Reportedly found by an African slave over 500 years ago in the Gulf of Panama, the finder gained his freedom as a result and the jewel ended up with Philip II. Henry VIII never had the pearl however it was an engagement gift to his daughter Mary I, according to some historical accounts. It was returned to her husband Philip II of Spain on her death.

Known as the Peregrina ("pilgrim" or "wanderer") Pearl, it meandered around various European royal households for several centuries before ending up in 1969 with Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor as a Valentine Day gift, for which Burton paid $37,000.

One of the most famous pearls in history, she told of one occasion that she lost it only to find it in the mouth of one of their puppies, fortunately undamaged. After her death in 2011 the necklace in which it was now mounted was sold for $11 million.

Answer: Napoleon

Discovered in India in 1698, it was named the Pitt Diamond after an English merchant (ancestor of two British prime ministers of the same name) who bought it and brought it to England. It was bought by the French in 1717 and first worn by Louis XV.

Stolen during the French Revolution in 1792 but later recovered from the roof timbers of a Parisian attic, it was used as security for various loans before Napoleon repossessed it and had it put on a sword by his jeweller. After Napoleon, it went back to being mounted on crowns.

Answer: Henry IV

As King of Navarre, Henry borrowed the Sancy, a shield-shaped yellow diamond, from Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy. When the diamond disappeared, some thought the messenger had run off with the jewel however a search found the site of the robbery and the messenger's body. It was not until later that the diamond was found in the faithful servant's stomach.

De Sancy was a French soldier, diplomat and a bit of an authority on gems. The diamond was named after him. He sold it to James I in 1605, who mounted it on a mirror. It has bounced around a few locations and came back to France in 1978. There are actually two such diamonds bearing de Sancy's name, the other being the Beau Sancy.

Answer: Victoria

The diamond has a long history and a bit of a reputation for causing men bad luck. In fact there is a curse that goes with it, stated in one old Hindu text as:

"He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity."

It is probably a Golconda diamond, mined perhaps as long ago as the 13th century. It spent some time as part of the Peacock Throne during the Murghal Empire before the throne was taken as a war trophy on the fall of the empire. The diamond moved around in a bloody trail about the subcontinent and was in Punjab by the time of the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49). The Sikh Empire lost the war to the British East India Company, who annexed Punjab under the Last Treaty of Lahore (1849).

Under clause III of the Treaty, it states that "The gem called the Koh-i-Noor, which was taken from Shah Sooja-ool-moolk by Maharajah Runjeet Singh, shall be surrendered by the Maharajah of Lahore to the Queen of England." It has appeared in various British queens' crowns since then, although Victoria chose to have it on a brooch, the Regal Circlet and in the Timur Ruby necklace at different times.

Ownership of the diamond is disputed with the governments of Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan all laying claim to it.

Answer: Louis XVI

Starting life in India, the original and larger stone was known as the Tavernier Blue after the French gem merchant who bought it in 1666. The blue colour comes from trace amounts of boron in the diamond. The stone came to France 1668 or so and was cut to provide the French Blue (or Le Bleu de France).

After its theft during the Reign of Terror, it disappeared. A three-dimensional model of the French Blue, found in a Parisian museum in 2005, was used to prove that the French Blue had been recut to form the Hope Diamond. This had 'appeared' in London in 1812 a few days after the statue of limitations for its original theft had expired.

Its new name came from an Anglo-Dutch banking family who had acquired it by 1839. It was donated in 1958 to the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC (administered by the Smithonian Institute).

Answer: Marie Antoinette

This scheme in fact had nothing to do with the queen. It was masterminded by the self-proclaimed comtesse de La Motte with her husband. She had one of her lovers, a master forger, produce letters from Marie Antoinette to another of her lovers, Cardinal de Rohan, who wanted to improve his standing with the queen. The letter asked him to buy the necklace as a favour on behalf of the queen through her 'agent' the comtesse.

The cardinal had a late night meeting with the 'queen', in reality a look-alike prostitute, to check the story out and then bought the necklace, delivering it to the 'comtesse' to hand over to the queen. The ruse was discovered when the first payment became due. The cardinal was arrested along with most of the others however the necklace has already been broken up and diamonds sold off.

Although the swindlers could have been dealt with in private, the king and queen decided on a public trial. This was a mistake as the public saw the queen as the guilty party and sympathised with the 'comtesse', who was whipped, branded and imprisoned for life. She quickly escaped dressed as a boy and went to London where she wrote her memoirs. She died when she fell out of her hotel room window trying to hide from debt collectors.

Answer: Edward VII

The stone took its name from the owner of the mine where it was found. Diversionary tactics were used to send the stone to London and then to Amsterdam for cutting: a steamboat with guards to London and a Royal Navy ship to Amsterdam. In reality, it was sent by registered post from South Africa and carried in the coat pocket of the Dutch jeweller by train and ferry to Amsterdam.

The stone eventually produced 105 diamonds of assorted cuts with Cullinan I (also known as the Great Star of Africa) and Cullinan II ending up in the British Crown Jewels. The other nine Cullinan-named diamonds were taken as payment by the jeweller.

Answer: Catherine the Great

This appears to have been a story created to avoid criticism of the Empress for spending state's budget on the diamond. Count Orlov (after whom the diamond is now named) was not wealthy enough to have paid for it. She had her jeweller create a sceptre to mount it on, now called the Imperial Sceptre.

The Count had a long history with the Empress. He led a coup which deposed her husband, the Emperor Peter III, installing her in his place. They also had a son together but the Count was eventually displaced by political rivals.

Answer: Richard I

Another version of the story is that the Briolette was actually found in a South African mine in the late 1890s or so. It then came to France where it was cut into its distinctive shape in 1909 and then made its way across the Atlantic. The royal provenance revealed was probably to add financial value to the stone.

Back to Eleanor of Aquitaine. She would have had to obtain it around the middle of the 12th century when queen consort of the King Louis VII of France, which would make it the oldest diamond on record. After 15 years, her marriage was annulled as she had borne no sons, although she had two daughters. So she married her third cousin King Henry II of England and had another eight children, including five sons of which Richard I (the Lionheart) was the oldest survivor by the time Henry II died.