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The Beau Sancy
The Sancy Diamond has one of the most interesting,
colorful, confused and involved histories of all the
famous diamonds in Europe. It is a pale yellow
55.23-carat shield-shaped stone, apparently of Indian
origin, and is said to be one of the first large
diamonds to be cut with symmetrical facets. The stone is
also unusual because it has no pavilion - just a pair of
crowns, one on the other.
In 1570, the stone was purchased in Constantinople by
the French Ambassador to Turkey, Nicholas Harlai, the
Seigneur de Sancy, who was an avid collector of gems and
jewelry. This passion for personal adornment was more in
evidence during the 1500's and 1600's in Europe than any
other time and any other place, except in the East. He
brought it to France, where Henry III, who was very
sensitive about being bald, borrowed it to decorate a small
cap he always wore to conceal his baldness. Sancy was a
prominate figure in the French Court at the time. Henry was
the vicious, vain, weak son of Catherine de Medici. During
the next reign, when Sancy was made Superintendent of
Finance, Henry IV borrowed the gem as security for
substantial loan to hire soldiers. A messenger was
dispatched with the jewel but never reached his destination;
thieves had followed him. Knowing that the man was loyal,
Sancy made a search of him and his body was discovered,
disinterred, and in the stomach of the servant the diamond
was found!
Nicholas Harlay de Sancy, diplomat, financier and
ardent monarchist, is remembered as the owner of the
55.23-carat shield-shaped diamond, the
Sancy, one of the most celebrated gems in history.
This diamond came to be known as the 'Beau Sancy', or
'Little Sancy' and was destined to pursue a different course
of history from Sancy's larger diamond. The Beau Sancy is a
colorless, rounded pear shape, cut with a total of 110
facets, including the two small table facets.
It was a grandson of Prince Frederick Henry who, in
1689, ascended the throne of England as William III.
He inherited the Beau Sancy and gave it to his
consort, Queen Mary II, as a wedding gift. The
couple were childless so the diamond came into the
possession of another grandson of the Prince of
Orange, Frederick III, Elector Prince of
Brandenburg, who, in 1701, became King of Prussia
under the name of Frederick I. Valued at 300,000
Reichstalers, the Beau Sancy became the most
important stone in the Crown Jewels of Prussia and
was set in the royal crown. In an inventory of the
crown jewels made in 1913 the diamond featured as
the pendant to a necklace of 22 diamonds, part of a
diamond suite which also included a large breast
ornament, a pair of earrings and a fan.
The Beau Sancy is now in the possession of the head
of the house of Hohenzollern, Prince Louis-Ferdinand
of Prussia, grandson of William II, the last Emperor
of Germany.
Read more...
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Famous Diamonds - The Beau Sancy
