The Vargas Diamond, discovered in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
on August 13, 1938 (July 1938 according to Ball & Kerr) by Joaquim Venancio Tiago and Manoel Miguel Domingues, was when pulled out of the ground. Twenty-nine smaller diamonds were
carved
Carving is the act of using tools to shape something from a material by scraping away portions of that material. The technique can be applied to any material that is solid enough to hold a form even when pieces have been removed from it, and ...
from the larger rough Vargas Diamond including the
emerald cut diamond named "President Vargas", after the former
Brazilian President,
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...
.
The diamond has been in the possession of
Harry Winston
Harry Winston (March 1, 1896December 8, 1978) was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963 in exchan ...
, a jeweler from
New York.
See also
*
List of largest rough diamonds
This is a partial list of the largest non-synthetic diamonds with a rough stone (uncut) weight of over 200 carats (40 grams). The list is not intended to be complete – e.g., the Cullinan (formerly Premier) mine alone has produced 135 diamond ...
*
List of diamonds
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 may still be consid ...
Further reading
* Esmaraldo Reis (1940) ''Three Large Brazilian Diamonds'', pp. 2-3
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 se ...
, USA, Vol. 3, No. 6 (Summer 1940)
* Shipley, Robert M. (1944) ''Gemological Digest: Additional Notes on the President Vargas Diamond'', pp. 168-169 (PDF page 12–13)
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 se ...
, USA, Vol. 4, No. 11 (Fall 1944)
References
1938 in Brazil
Diamonds originating in Brazil
Individual diamonds
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