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The Allnatt
When Porter Rhodes traveled to the Isle of Wight in 1881 to
show to his fine white diamond crystal to Queen Victoria and
Empress Eugénie of France, who was at that time residing
nearby, he helped to dispel a myth: South African diamonds
were usually yellowish in color and therefore less valuable.
Both the Queen but in particular the Empress, who was
knowledgeable about diamonds, believed this to be true and
were, therefore, surprised to examine a fine white
octahedral crystal originating from the Cape Mines of South
Africa. It was not until the Excelsior was found in 1893,
the Jubilee in 1895 and above all, the discovery of the
Premier Mine in 1902 that South Africa finally achieved
recognition as a source of large white diamonds as well as
yellow ones.
The early years of the South African diamond mining industry
certainly witnessed the appearance, in unheard of numbers,
of large yellow crystals, many of them octahedral in shape.
The reigning Shah of Persia, Nasir ud-Din Shah (1848-1860)
was among the first to appreciate them because he added
numerous yellow diamonds to the Crown Jewels of Iran, the
largest of which is a 135-carat monster rivaling the Regent
Diamond in size and shape. A few, including the Tiffany
Yellow, came from the Kimberly Mine but by far the greatest
number originated in the De Beers Mine, which is the most
likely source the Allnatt originated from.
This 101.29-carat cushion cut its color having been
certified by the GIA as Fancy Vivid Yellow, VS2 clarity, is
named after its former owner, Alfred Ernest Allnatt. He was
a soldier, a sportsman, an active patron of the arts and a
noted benefactor in many spheres. He paid a then world
record price for The Adoration of the Magi by Rubens which
he presented to King's College, Cambridge, England, as an
altar-piece for its famous chapel. He also had a passion for
the Turf and bought 11 yearlings formerly owned by the late
Sir Sultan Mohammed Aga Khan; he commented at the time, "All
I know about horses is they are nice things to amble about
on." The Aga Khan also owned several exceptional diamonds,
among them the 33.13-carat pear-shaped Aga Khan III, which
came up for sale at Christie's in Geneva in May of 1988.
Major Allnatt did not buy any of the Aga Khan's diamonds to
add to his yearlings, but he did purchase this very fine
diamond and in the early-1950s he commissioned Cartier to
design a floral brooch setting for it. The piece is a design
of a flower with five petals, lined with white baguette-cut
diamonds, the petals themselves being comprised of brilliant
cut diamonds, and the stem and two leaves also being
comprised of the same cutting styles. The Allnatt is at the
center of the flower. The entire piece is made of platinum.
It was auctioned by Christies, again in Geneva, in May of
1996. On that occasion it fetched the phenomenal sum of
$3,043,496. The present owner of the gem is the SIBA
Corporation. The stone originally weighied 102.07 carats but
was re-cut in the late-1990s to its present weight,
improving its color from Fancy Intense to Fancy Vivid
Yellow....
Read more...
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World's Famous Diamonds - Allnatt 
