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PRECIOUS STONES 25
hundred
and seventy-seven carats, said to have been originally four hundred
and forty carats. It was found on the ground by a child in the region
of Golconda.
The
Shah of Persia possesses two magnificent rose-cut stones of very fine
quality, the " Darya-i-nur," or " Sea of Light," weighing one hundred
and eighty-six carats, and the " Taj-e-mah," or " Crown of the Moon,"
of one hundred and forty-six carats.
The " Florentine" belongs to the
Emperor of Austria. It is cut like a double rose, though shaped
something after the fashion of a briolette. It is very brilliant, and
of a yellowish tint. It is said to have been cut for Charles the Bold,
Duke of Burgundy, and lost by him at the battle of Granson. Various
accounts are given of its later history until it came into the
possession of the Austrian crown, but none are well authenticated.
(Plate XVIII.) Its weight is one hundred and thirty-three and one-fifth
carats.
One
of the finest diamonds known is the " Regent," or "Pitt," of the French
crown jewels. (Plate XVI.) It is an Indian stone, and is supposed to
have been found in the Gani-Parteal locality in 1701. Governor Pitt, of
Fort St. George, Madras, bought it for £20,400, and sold it in 1717 to
the Duke of Orleans for two million francs. It was recut in London from
four hundred and ten to one hundred and thirty-six and seven-eighths
carats, and was valued in 1791 at twelve million francs. It was stolen
in 1792, with other crown jewels of France, but later restored.
Napoleon I. wore it in the pommel of his sword. He used it during his
wars as a means of raising money, but it was finally redeemed, and
remains in the possession of France. The cutting is said to have taken
two years, and the cost is variously reported to have been £2000 and
£5000.
The
" Sancy," said to be owned at present by an Indian Maharajah, has a
number of legends attached to it, gathered probably from the mention,
in history, of various stones which
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