The Curse of the Black Orlov Diamond
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The Curse of the Black Orlov DiamondMan has long been fascinated by stories surrounding famous gemstones especially those that carry a curse. One such stone is the famous Black Orlov Diamond. Once called The Eye of Brahma, legend has it that this magnificent gem was originally the eye of a Hindu idol in a shrine near Pondicherry, India. Hindus believe in three eyes, one being the sun representing light and one being the moon representing dark, located on opposite sides of the head. The third eye is located deep in the center of the forhead and perceives knowledge that is not physically discernable. This black diamond probably represented the moon or dark eye of the idol.
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Colored diamonds themselves are rare and this one was an uncut stone of 195 carats. According to legend the stone was stolen from the idol by a monk centuries ago, which caused the curse that befell those who later came to own the magnificent gem. The current name “The Black Orlov” comes from the legend that the stone was once owned by the Russian Princess Nadia Orlov. This princess fled Russia after the revolution and purportedly sold jewels to finance her escape from the persecution of nobility at that time. The curse emanates from the tale that three former owners committed suicide by leaping to there deaths from tall buildings. The first casualty being the diamond dealer who originally imported the stone to the United States and then the two Russian princesses, Nadia Vyegin-Orlov and Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky who died within a month of each other. In an attempt to escape the curse the stone was divided into three separate diamonds and the one known as the Black Orlov is now 67.5 carats set in a 108 diamond brooch. The current owner Dennis Petimezas presented it for an exhibition that concluded in February, and then it went to the 2006 Oscar celebration. It was reported that Felicity Huffman was approached to wear the $2 million gem but this observer did not see her wearing it on Oscar night.
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