In 1664, the diamond shown above was given by Philip IV of Spain to his daughter as an engagement gift, the Infanta Margarita Teresa who was getting married to Emperor Leopold I of Austria. The stone was later passed to the Wittelsbach family, part of the ruling house of Bavaria. The crown jewels of the House of Wittelsbach were then sold at Christie’s in 1931, but this blue diamond was not among them. It resurfaced in Belgium in 1951, and represents one of the finest blue diamonds in the world.
Now, the famous Wittselsbach blue diamond now has gained a new title in honor of its new owner. The 35.56 carat stone was purchased in December by Laurence Graff, and is therefore now known as the “Wittelsbach-Graff” diamond, and has been recut to 31.06 carats to showcase the color and increase its rating to internally flawless. The new version of the precious stone will join the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History on Jan. 28th.
Via: Luxist
