Sancy
| Gemstone: | Diamond |
|---|---|
| Source: | India |
| Weight: | 55.23 cts |
| Colour: | Pale yellow |
| Cut: | Shield |
| Current Location: | |
| References: | Walter Schumann (2001) Gemstones of the World http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sancy |
| Information Source: | Walter Schumann (2001) Gemstones of the World |
| History: | Several sources state it belonged to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. After the Charles died, in 1495 it passed to his cousin king Manuel I of Portugal. It was sold then to Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy. Other sources claim that the diamond was purchased in Constantinople by de Sancy, French Ambassador to Turkey. Henry III arranged to borrow de Sancy's diamond to decorate his cap. Henry IV also borrowed the stone. De Sancy later sold the diamond to James I (successor of Queen Elizabeth) about 1605. The Sancy remained in England until 1669 when it was briefly possessed by the unfortunate Charles I (King of England, Scotland and Ireland) and then by his third son James II. James sold the Sancy to Cardinal Mazarin for the reported sum of £25,000. The cardinal bequeathed the diamond to the king. The Sancy was thus domiciled in France but disappeared during the French Revolution. The Sancy's history is unknown from then until 1828 when purchased by Prince Demidoff for £80,000. It remained in the Demidov family collection until 1865 when sold to Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, an Indian prince, for £100,000. He sold it only a year later, it reappeared in 1867, displayed at the Paris Exposition, carrying a price tag of one million francs; the gem then vanished again for forty years. The Sancy next surfaced in 1906 when bought by William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor. The prominent Astor family possessed it for 72 years until the 4th Viscount Astor sold it to the Louvre for $1 million in 1978. |