The Heart of Eternity is a diamond measuring 27.64
carats (5.528 g), rated in
color
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...
as "Fancy Vivid Blue" by the
Gemological Institute of America
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and ...
. The Heart of Eternity was cut by the
Steinmetz Group Steinmetz/Steynmets is a German surname, meaning 'stonemason'. It may refer to:
People
* Ádám Steinmetz (born 1980), Hungarian water polo player
* Andrew Steinmetz (born 1965), Canadian writer
* Barnabás Steinmetz (born 1975), Hungarian water p ...
, who owned the diamond before selling it to the
De Beers Group
De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphi ...
.
The Heart of Eternity is a member of an exceedingly rare class of coloured diamonds. It was found in the
Premier Diamond Mine
The Premier Mine is an underground diamond mine owned by Petra Diamonds in the town of Cullinan, Gauteng, Cullinan, east of Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Established in 1902, it was renamed the Cullinan Diamond Mine in November ...
of South Africa. The Premier mine is the only mine in the world with an appreciable production of blue diamonds.
The Heart of Eternity was unveiled in January 2000 as part of the De Beers Millennium Jewels collection, which included the
Millennium Star
The Millennium Star is a diamond owned by De Beers. At 203.04 carats (40.608 g), it is the world's second largest known top-color (grade D, i.e. colourless), internally and externally flawless, pear-shaped diamond.
The diamond was d ...
. The Heart of Eternity was featured with ten other blue diamonds; the collection of blue diamonds totalled 118 carats (23.6 g). The De Beers Millennium Jewels were displayed at London's
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome was the original name of the large dome-shaped building on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East (London sub region), South East London, England, which housed a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millenn ...
throughout 2000.
An attempt on 7 November 2000 to steal the collection was foiled.
In 2012, there have been rumors that the boxer
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. (''né'' Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. He currently owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series named The Money Team Racing. As a professional boxer he competed b ...
bought the Heart of Eternity necklace for his fiancée,
Shantel Jackson.
De Beers
De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond mining, diamond exploitation, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. The company is active in open-pit, large-scale alluvial and c ...
refused to say whom they sold the Heart of Eternity Diamond to, and so its current owner was left unknown.
Popular culture
The Heart of Eternity is the gem which inspired the famous ''
Heart of the Ocean'', the blue heart-shaped diamond held by Rose, the protagonist in the iconic film ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
''.
(the diamond has been unveiled in 2000, the movie titanic is from 1997)
See also
*
List of diamonds
Diamond (gemstone), Diamonds become famous typically for some combination of their size, color and quality. Diamonds occur naturally in many different colors, so the largest diamond of a particular color may not be large in absolute terms, but it ...
Notes
References
* Gemological Institute of America
"The Heart of Eternity"
* The World of Famous Diamonds
* Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127021818/http://www.mnh.si.edu/exhibits/si-gems/heart.html , date=27 January 2007 . Retrieved 12 April 2005.
Blue diamonds
De Beers
Diamonds originating in South Africa
Individual diamonds