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THE BOOK OF DIAMONDS
origin
is uncertain; according to one account, it was stolen from a Brahman
temple of India, while another indicates that it was owned by Nadir,
Shah of Persia, and after his death came into the hands of an Armenian
merchant. In 1772 it was purchased by the Empress Catharine II of
Russia at a price said to have been 450,000 rubles, besides
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an
annuity of 4,000 rubles and a Russian title. It is among the Russian
crown jewels. In every respect the Orloff is the most remarkable of the
great Russian Diamonds. It forms the chief ornament in the Imperial
scepter. From this circumstance it is sometimes called the "Scepter"
diamond. In size it ranks first among the European gems; in beauty it
yields only to the "Regent" while for romantic interest it 86
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