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The Amsterdam or The Orloff
The diamond called Orloff was bought in Amsterdam (being on
this account sometimes known as the "Amsterdam" diamond) by
Prince Orloff for the Empress Catharine II of Russia for the
sum of 1,400,000 Dutch florins. It was the largest of the
diamonds comprised in the Russian crown jewels, and formed
the termination of the imperial sceptre; it is a stone of
the finest water, perfectly pure and with a brilliant
luster.
This stone has had a chequered career; it is said at one
time to have formed one of the eyes of an idol in the
Brahmin temple on the island of Sheringha In, in the Cauvery
River near Trichinopoly. It was stolen from here, at the
beginning of the eighteenth century, by a French soldier,
passed into the hands of an English ship's captain, and so
found its way into Europe, and in 1791 was bought in
Amsterdam by Prince Orloff for the Empress Catharine II of
Russia for the sum of 1,400,000 Dutch florins.
300 Carats when found, color: slightly bluish green,
clarity: exceptionally pure, cut: Mogul-cut rose, source:
India. This gem may be found in the Diamond Treasury of
Russia in Moscow. There are so many historical episodes
involving the Orloff. First, it may have been set at one
time as the diamond eye of Vishnu's idol (one of the Hindu
Gods) in the innermost sanctuary temple in Sriangam, before
being stolen in the 1700s by a French deserter. However, the
deserter just dug one eye from its socket, because he was
terror-stricken at the thought of retribution, so he
couldn't take the other. He went to Madras, and sold the
stone quickly to an English sea-captain for 2,000 pounds.
The time passed, the stone arrived at Amsterdam where the
Russian count Grigori Orloff, an ex-lover of Empress
Catherine the Great was residing. He heard about rumors of
the stone, and he bought the diamond for 90,000 pounds and
took it back to Russia for Catherine's favor. The stone has
been called the Orloff since then. Catherine received his
gift and had it mounted in the Imperial Sceptre. She gave a
marble palace to Grigori in exchange for the Orloff.
However, Grigori couldn't get Catherine's love. Grigori
Orloff passed away at the nadir of disappointment in 1783.
In 1812 the Russians, fearing that Napoleon with his Grand
Army was about to enter Moscow, hid the Orloff in a priest's
tomb. Napoleon supposedly discovered the Orloff's location
and went to claim it. However, as a solider of the Army was
about to touch the Orloff, a priest's ghost appeared and
pronounced a terrible curse upon the Army. The Emperor,
Napoleon went away without the Orloff.
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World's Famous Diamonds - Amsterdam
