Gems, like people, have their own destiny. The Florentine diamond, one of the most famous in Europe, was destined to bring people not only joy and pleasure from contemplation, but also misery. Having done trouble, the gem disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.
The official "date of birth" of this rare diamond is 1657. It was then that Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a French traveler and merchant who held in his hands all the threads of the diamond trade with India, saw a stone of unprecedented beauty in the Medici family's pantry. Since that time, the history of an unusual diamond begins. However, the glory of the "Florentine", alas, with a minus sign.
Before entering the Medici treasury, the stone traveled a lot. There is no exact information about his movements, so one has to be content with only legends. From the XIV to the XVII centuries in the south of India there was Vijayanagara - the Hindu empire, a strong power that raided Burma and Ceylon. During the wars, its rulers managed to capture many treasures. Among them was a beautiful diamond. When India submitted to the Europeans, the Portuguese governor bargained for a precious stone from the Vijayanagar Maharaja in exchange for land. When the Portuguese arrived at home, the Tuscan Duke Ferdinand saw the treasure and disappeared. He offered the Portuguese a fabulous sum of money at that time for an Indian diamond. The parties shook hands, and the stone went to Tuscany. Then he ended up in the jewelry workshop of Pompeo Studentoli,who proceeded to cut it. The master cut off everything unnecessary from the diamond, and an extraordinary diamond of light yellow color with a greenish tint weighing 137.45 carats was born.
There is also an alternative history. In 1475, the stone allegedly appeared in the jewelry workshop of the famous Flemish cutter of the Middle Ages, Ludwig van Berken. This jeweler invented a special diamond cutting machine, which revolutionized jewelry. Its perfect cut made the diamond shine and sparkle, which eventually went to Charles the Bold, the last Duke of Burgundy. On January 5, 1477, Charles was struck down with a halberd during the Battle of Nancy. His disfigured, naked body lay on the battlefield for several days. According to legend, Charles the Bold carried a priceless diamond with him, which the unnamed Swiss guard did not fail to take advantage of, who removed a weighty stone from the dead duke. But an ordinary soldier did not know its true value and, returning to his homeland, sold it to a local jeweler for a pittance. The Bernese jeweler immediately realizedthat a thing that his colleagues could dream of all their lives fell into his hands. But the jeweler was also well aware of the sad fate that befell Karl the Bold. The goldsmith was a superstitious man. Removing jewelry from a murdered person is a bad omen. Therefore, he tried to dispose of the treasure as quickly as possible. The Bernese jeweler went to Genoa, where he sold a yellow diamond for a profit.
ON THE EDGE OF THE ABYSS
Having changed several owners, the stone ended up in the treasury of the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, nicknamed Moro. This noble gentleman first of all became famous for having invited the great Italian painter and architect Leonardo da Vinci to his court. However, Italians also remember him as a skillful diplomat and smart statesman. But, having received the stone, Moreau said goodbye to luck forever. In the fall of 1499, the French troops of King Louis XII attacked Milan. Lodovico tried to repel the attack, and at first he succeeded, but then the French got the upper hand, grabbed the duke and escorted him to France. There he was thrown into the castle, in which he died.
The stone began to change owners, like gloves, not staying for a long time anywhere, managing, however, to greatly harm its owners. So, when it was owned by the Fuggers, representatives of the most influential family of merchants and bankers in Europe, they went bankrupt.
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Then the diamond went to Pope Julius II. The pontiff became famous for having managed to have children, although according to church canons this is strictly prohibited. But that's not all. Despite having heirs, he had a reputation as a homosexual. But his main "achievement" is a continuous series of wars, in which he himself took part, fighting in the forefront. Under his sensitive leadership, many people were killed in battles, for which popular rumor cursed the hated dad. In order not to tempt fate further, the cunning pontiff decided to get rid of the precious thing. So she migrated to Florence - to the treasury of the influential Medici family. Since then, the beautiful stone began to be called "Florentine" or "Grand Duke of Tuscany." The Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna heard about an unusual yellow diamond. She sent a man to Florencewho offered the family 55 thousand of the best soldiers. The Medici did not accept the offer. Perhaps it was for the best for Russia, given the diamond's bad reputation.
The Medici owned the diamond for a century and a half, until their power began to decline. Ferdinand II believed in the curse of the diamond and tried to beat him up by inviting the very merchant Jean-Baptiste Tavernier for negotiations, but the deal did not take place. Representatives of the noble family tried to stop the decline, but in vain. Neither the addition of spiritual dignity and marriage, nor the birth of children, who, due to illness, did not last long, helped. The Medici were doomed. In 1743, Anna Maria Luisa died - the last representative of the glorious surname, who left no heirs.
Hand to hand
The cursed stone continued its ill-fated journey through Europe and ended up in the Habsburg storeroom. The most powerful dynasty in Europe - "the empire over which the sun never sets" - for many centuries retained power and strength, ruled, in addition to Austria and the Holy Roman Empire, a number of other European powers. But as soon as the pebble moved to the Hofburg treasury, an evil fate seemed to hang over the Habsburgs. Anna Maria Theresia - Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary - left a good memory for herself thanks to successful reforms in the internal government of the country. Before her, Austria was one of the most backward European powers, flourished and rose under her. But the insidious stone was doing its dirty deed on the sly, and in 1918 the all-powerful state fell. The royal family fled to Switzerland, taking all the valuables with them,among them was the "Yellow Tuscan". Charles I, Emperor of Austria, abdicated power, but this did not prevent him from attempting to seize power in Budapest. He practically went with his soldiers to the capital of Hungary, but was arrested and sent to the island of Madeira. There he fell ill with pneumonia and soon died.
Perhaps Charles, wishing to improve his affairs, attempted to sell the Florentine to wealthy American merchants. Whether the deal took place is unknown. The Austrian Yellow Diamond was rumored to have been secretly sent overseas, where it was re-cut. They even said that they tried to make several stones from it, but this information has not been confirmed.
Traces of the unique stone are lost. In 1981, an unusual 70-carat yellow diamond appeared at a Swiss auction. Experts suspected that this was all that remained of the once brilliant stone. The owner of the jewel could not say anything intelligible about his fate. All she knew was that her father was very worried about the shape of the diamond, and he gave it to be re-cut. It is possible that we are talking about the same "Florentine". In order not to draw attention to itself, its new owner chose to remain anonymous.
Lyubov SHAROVA
