Russian Courts. After long negotiations, the latter Court bought it for 450,000 silver roubles.
Finally,
most beautiful amongst the jewels of the Muscovite crown is the
perfectly red brilliant bought by Paul I. for 100,000 roubles.
There
is in Russia, belonging to the princely House Youssoukoff, a diamond
known by the name of the Polar Star, which is cut and very brilliant.
It weighs 40 carats.
The
House of Austria boasts of the beautiful yellow diamond called Grand
Duke of Tuscany. It weighs 139| carats, is cut in nine sides, and
covered with facets, which form a star with nine rays. It belonged, as
others of which we have already spoken, to Charles the Bold, who lost
it at the battle of Morat, with another smaller one, which now adorns
the tiara of the Pope.
The Pacha of Egypt has a brilliant, which also is called Pacha. It weighs 40 carats, and cost 700,000 lire.
The
Piggot, which in 1818 belonged to the goldÂsmiths, Rundell and Bridges,
of London, and which weighs 82-1/4 carats, is perhaps the same gem
which was put in a lottery in England in the year 1801 for 750,000
lire. It is not very fine.
During
the wars of the eighteenth century in the territory of the Mahrat'a the
diamond called Xassak was taken by the East Indian Company. It then
weighed 89-3/4 carats. Cut by the order of the Marquis of "Westminster,
it was reduced to 782.
