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CELEBRATED DIAMONDS 89
Theresa,
and a variety beyond. It is variously named " The Florentine," the "
Grand Duke of Tuscany " and the " Austrian." It is a briolette having 9
rows of facets cut to represent a star of 9 rays, and weighs 113-1/3
Vienna carats or I39-1/2 carats French. The stone, which is clear and
very brilliant, is generally said to be a little yellow. Tavernier, who
saw it, says it is citron color, but with his usual liberality in
estimating values, he places the value of the "Florentine" at 2,608,335
livres or in round figures about $520,000. It came to Maria Theresa and
the Austrian house by her husband, Francis Stephen of Lorraine, who, a
year after his marriage, exchanged Lorraine for the grand duchy of
Tuscany and acquired the " Florentine " with it. Tradition says that
this diamond was cut for Charles the Bold by Ludwig Van Berquem, and
lost by him at the battle of Granson; that it was found by a Swiss
peasant who sold it to a citizen of Berne; a Genoese who bought it from
him, sold it to Ludovic Sforza, Duke of Milan, then by way of the
Medici treasury it passed on to Francis Stephen. At his coronation,
October 4, 1745, as head of the Holy Roman Empire, the " Florentine"
adorned the Crown of the House of Austria. Another account says that
Pope Julius II presented it to the Emperor of Austria.
The
" Braganza," called also the " King of Portugal's diamond," is a large
stone said to weigh 1680 carats, and by many believed to be a piece of
white topaz. It was found in Brazil, some say at a place called
Cay-de-Merin near the river Malhoverde. It is still in the rough and no
one is allowed to see it, nevertheless estimates have been made of its
value as high as £224,000,000, a
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