The mysterious cursed Black Orlov diamond -''Brahma's eye"of Indian origin

The black Orlov diamond of Indian origin.gemelect.com



The black Orlov diamond of Indian origin. jcrm.com

Not withstanding mysterious and strange stories surrounding famous gemstones/diamonds especially those that carry a curse, world over man's fascination for them continues even today unabated. Their desire to possess them has never shown any decline. To the filthy rich people, possessing a well-known historical diamond is more a status symbol matching their vanity and pride than an asset, a recognition of their affluence in a stratified society that is part of a transient world. One such rich stone - black Orlov or 'eye of Brahma' is as famous for its astonishing beauty and brilliance as for the curse it carries.

As a matter of fact there are a few temples dedicated to the Hindu God Brahma, the creator, one of the three Gods (trinity) in the Hindu mythology. The other being Vishnu, the protector and Shiva, the destroyer.  Almost in all temples, a shrine dedicated to Brahma is rare.

This magnificent piece of gem was originally the eye of a Hindu idol, most probably Shiva and not Brahma as many articles on black Orlov have mentioned. Many reports mention that the temple is located near Pondicherry (once a French territory), southern India and the details of temple are sketchy. The Hindu God Shiva, the cosmic dancer is believed to have three eyes, one being the sun representing light and the other being the moon representing dark, located on opposite sides of the head. The third eye is located deep in the center of the forehead and perceives knowledge/wisdom that is not physically discernible. This black diamond probably represents the moon or dark eye of the idol.
  
As this stone was pried out of a powerful God's eye, the curse the stone carries, it is strongly believed, had its  bad effect on the three former owners - a diamond dealer committed suicide and then the two Russian princesses, Nadia Vying-Orlov and Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky who died within a month of each other by leaping to deaths from tall buildings. The black orlov 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. Colored diamonds themselves are rare and this one was an uncut stone of 195 carats. The reason attributed to splitting the stone was to mitigate the effects of curse cast by the temple priests. 

Apparently the stone was stolen from the idol by a monk centuries ago, that caused the curse to be fallen on those who later came to own it. Sometimes, it is believed, one can not ignore and consider the curses some of the stolen Hindu temple diamonds carry as a matter based on conjecture or just superstition. Many well-known Indian diamonds stolen from the Hindu temples of great antiquity are shrouded in mystery and strange evil power. However, not all owners are affected by the curse. Perhaps it is due to their ''karma.''
Ref:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4262862.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Orlov