History of Damoind

People

Since the dawn of time, diamonds have had a magical aura about them, and have stood as a symbol of purity and wealth. Natural color diamonds in particular have been, and continue to be, cherished by the rich and the famous.

The first documented case of a cut diamond being worn by a woman dates back to the XVth Century and involves a natural color diamond: Agnès Sorel, the official mistress of Charles VII, wore a pink diamond. Perhaps as a sign of what the future would bring, she was also the first non-noble woman to wear a diamond.

In the XVIIth century Cardinal Jules Mazarin, who served under King Louis XIV, collected diamonds from Catherine the Great. More than anything else, he loved natural color diamonds and had a special affinity for brown diamonds.

Maria Pavlovna, the Grand Duchess of Russia, can be credited for saving the Romanov's great jewelry collection by having them brought to her after her exile to Yalta. Upon her death in 1920, she divided the collection among her four children; her only daughter received the diamonds.

The "hold-up of the century" took place on 3 August 1949 when the Begum and the Aga Khan were stopped by three robbers outside their home in the Côte d'Azur. They had 200 million old French Francs' worth of jewelry stolen from them.

In 1947, Queen Elizabeth II received a 54-carat intense pink diamond for her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh. This stone was later mounted onto a brooch by Cartier. The Queen remains one of the biggest collectors of natural color diamonds.

In 1958, Farah, the former Empress of Iran, wore the world's most famous tiara for her wedding: 324 brilliants pink, clear and yellow diamonds set around the Noor-al-Ain (Light of the Eye), one of the largest pink diamonds in the world (60 carats).

The Sultan of Brunei is also a great collector of natural color diamonds.

In recent years, natural color diamonds have also found their way into the hearts of the international jet-set who purchase, give and wear them for the most important occasions.

Ben Affleck bought Jennifer Lopez a 6.1-carat pink diamond - estimated value $2.5m;

Kobe Bryant has given his wife an 8-carat fancy purple diamond - estimated at $4m;

David Beckham offered his wife Victoria a 10-carat pink diamond - estimated at $1.8m;

Halle Berry wore a beautiful 5.54-carat pumpkin diamond to the 2004 Oscars;

Maria Menounos wore a $2.5m champagne/brown-diamond dress and shoes to the 2004 Oscars;

Cate Blanchett wore a yellow diamond and emerald brooch to the 2005 Oscars.

Natural color diamonds are considered to embody elegance, wealth, beauty and all that is most precious in the world.