Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend

Diamonds are iconic. Not just that, but they’ve also been included in some seriously iconic places over time. Is it true that diamonds are a girl’s best friend?

In the 2001 Musical Moulin Rouge, Satine played by Nicole Kidman sings that ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend’. But when she is presented with an extravagant diamond necklace by the possessive Duke Monroth, played by Richard Roxburgh, this notion begins to be questioned. Satine is presented the necklace in exchange for giving up her love the penniless writer Christian played by Ewan McGregor. This love story is a beautiful romance, where love overcomes money, as Satine rejects the stunning necklace and a wealthy life for love.

The necklace was designed by jeweller Stefano Canturi It was based on the style of necklace that were popular in the 1890s. Stefano Canturi designed ‘Satine’ to capture the eclecticism of France, strongly inspired by the Louis XVI style, openwork lace patterns, scrolls and splendorous bodice jewellery Like the Boucheron Necklace 1899, for Mary-Louise McKay the wife of the American silver prospector and millionaire John McKay. The Jewellery of Frederic Boucheron was imaginative and daring and he attracted some of the wealthiest and most notorious clients of his day.

The Moulin Rouge necklace consists of 1,308 diamonds weighting a total of 134 carats an amazing 26.8g! The necklace is the most expensive piece of jewellery ever made for a movie reportedly costing £63,000.00 to make. Stefano Canturi did not want to part with the necklace, but if sold it was expected to be the most expensive piece of film jewellery ever sold.

‘The Star of South Africa’, was the first important large white diamond to come from South Africa and is credited with turning the tides of fortune in South Africa. In 1869, it was picked up by a Griqua shepherd boy near the Orange River who traded it for cattle. It weighed about 83.5 carats in rough crystal form and was cut into a 47.69 carat pear shaped diamond.

Since 1908, Cullinan 1, also known as ‘The Great Star of Africa’, had held the title. It was discovered in 1950 in the Premier Mine in Africa, and was a whopping 1306.75 carats before being cut. When cut into a pear shape, it was 530.2 carats, it currently forms part of the Queens collection.

Although ‘The Star of South Africa’ and ‘The Great Star of Africa’ seems like a huge diamond, there is one bigger! ‘The Golden Jubilee’ diamond at 545.67 carats (109.13 g) is currently the largest faceted diamond in the world. This large brown diamond of was discovered in 1985, in the blue ground of the Premier mine in Africa, it is rumoured to be valued between £2.5 and £7million!

You cannot argue with how amazingly beautiful diamonds are, and it is not wonder that they are often referred to as a ‘Girl’s best Friend’. Even with so many beautiful gemstones available, many of our customers at Harriet Kelsall jewellery still opt to have a diamond in their own unique engagement rings.