The Tereshchenko Diamond, sometimes known as the Tereshchenko Blue, is a 42.92 carat diamond of blue colour that is cut in the pear shape. The diamond is rare, belonging to the

Type IIb diamond Diamond type is a method of scientifically classifying diamonds by the level and type of their chemical impurities. Diamonds are separated into five types: Type Ia, Type Ib, Type 1aB, Type IIa, and Type IIb. The impurities measu ...

, and believed to originate from India. The Tereshchenko diamond is the second biggest blue diamond in the world. Shaped by

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...

for a private order by the

Tereshchenko family Members of the Tereshchenko family have achieved prominence in Ukraine and the world as businessmen, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and landowners, beginning in the 18th century. The family has Cossack roots and comes from the city of Hlukhiv (n ...

, the diamond is in the rare

History

India

Like the Hope Diamond, the blue diamond "Tereshchenko" was found in India, near

Golconda Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparu ...

, in Kollur mine in the

Guntur Guntur () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Guntur is spread across 168.49 km square and is the third-largest city in the state. It is situated to the west of the Ba ...

district of Andhra Pradesh (which at the time was part of the

kingdom), in the seventeenth century.

Ukraine (Russian Empire period)

The original owner of the diamond is the

. The diamond weighed 150 carats before the cut and was secretly brought from India especially for Mykhailo Tereshchenko. The "Tereshchenko Diamond" is the world's largest blue diamond and is the second largest diamond to the "Hope", which belonged to the French crown. However, after the French Revolution, the diamond went to England and the United States. This blue diamond was cut in France in 1673, it weighed 67 carats and was also referred to a very rare

. After the cut the blue diamond "Hope" weighed 44 carats.

The biggest order in the history of the House of
Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...

After the

cut, "The Tereshchenko Blue" weighed 42.92 carats. It had an ideal form of cut – a "pear" shape. The Tereshchenko diamond took its place in the classification of the rarest

. The jeweler from the Place Vendôme in Paris, made it the centerpiece of necklace, where harmoniously conjoined forty-six intoxicating diamonds, weighing from 0.13 to 2.88 carats with cut of all kinds of shapes: "marquis", round, "pear", "heart" and variety of colors: pale yellow, lemon, aqua, Persian green, golden-yellow, grey, blue, purple, pink, bright orange and bright yellow. This necklace will remain one of the biggest orders in the history of the House of

The curse controversy

Hope Diamond and Tereshchenko Diamond

According to legend, these two stones Hope Diamond and Tereshchenko Diamond with the same deep blue radiance, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, were stolen from the eyes of a sculpted statue of the goddess Sita, the wife of Rama, the seventh Avatar of Vishnu, and were then shipped to Europe. This legend is used to explain the tragic events in the life of Mykhailo Tereshchenko, the

and Russia after Mykhailo became the owner of the gem. However, much like the " curse of Tutankhamun", this general type of "legend" was most likely the invention of Western authors during the Victorian era.Keys, David.
Curse of the mummy's tomb invented by Victorian writers
. '' The Independent''. 31 December 2000.

References