The Florentine Diamond, of India Origin and its Mysterious Present Status

Navrang India January 07, 2026

The Florentine Diamond of Indian origin.
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The Florentine Diamond.
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Since days of  Antiquity to the 16 th Century, India was the only producer of  of quality diamonds of  exceptional beauty and color. Most of them came from the famous Kollur diamond  mines in Guntur district of present day Andhra. Many of the famous diamonds are on display either in the museum or in the private collections of the rich and famous. Because of the purported curse on them - mostly stole from  the Indian Hindu temple some wear them on occasions and put them back in the vault. Unfortunately some valuable diamonds' history is shrouded in secrecy and disappeared into the mists of time. The famous Florentine Diamond  is  such a one  and diamond experts have made a futile attempt to chase the trails of this diamond. 

 The Florentine Diamond stone, also known as the  Tuscany Diamond, the Grand Duke of Tuscany,  and the Austrian Yellow Diamond, is a big gemstone; Wt: 137.27 carat (27.454 g). Light yellow in color (Amarillo) with a  with a slight green overtone,   this nine sided 126-facet double rose cut is of Indian origin  (1610), most probably mined near in the Kollur mines of the then Golconda, kingdom, the town was close to  Hyderabad city, Andhra.
 
No clear information is not available, hence its origin is obscure, may be shrouded in mystery.  Its history of owners is a chequered one, and had been owned by a plethora of famous  people through centuries  since  its origin in India and it is difficult to mention every one of them.

The first European owner of this diamond who is believed to have been  Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1433 – 1477) who lost it when he fell  at the battle of Morat against the Swiss in 1477. After that it changed  a few hands down the line to  Pope Julius II (1443 – February 1513) and the Medici family in 16th century at Florence. Maria Theresa of Austria acquired it through her marriage (1736) to the Duke of Tuscany and it became part of Austrian Crown jewels. After the fall of Austria before the World War II, the Germans captured the stone.

Florentine yellow diamond.
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The U.S. 3rd Army recovered it and returned to the Viennese by Gen. Mark Clark.  The other more acceptable and viable story is during the  reign of  popular Vijayanagar rule in S.India, in the late 1500 CE the  Portuguese troops led by the Governor of Goa, Ludovico Castro,  Count of Montesanto  defeated the Indian ruler and  acquired the uncut diamond.

Later Jesuits of Rome kept the stone from them. Through long negotiations Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany succeeded in buying it from the Castro-Noronha family for 35,000 Portuguese scudi crocati. The Duke's son Cosimo II, had the diamond cut by a Venetian cutter of Florence.


Tavernier's drawing of  Florentine diamond.
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Above image: A  few black and white photos (from prior to 1921 when the stone disappeared) exist. They were drawn by  Jean-'Baptiste Tavernier.'

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Above image: Ferdinando II de' Medici as Grand Duke of Tuscany

The French jeweler and traveler, Jean Baptiste Tavernier recorded the possession of this stone by Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1657.  After the death of the last of the Medici's  it became part of the Hapsburg Crown Jewels in the Homburg in Vienna. After the fall of Austrian empire in World War I, the stone, it is believed, was stolen from exiled Charles -1918, but all trace of it was lost with the fall of the Habsburg Empire in 1918. In 1920 this valuable diamond reached the US where it was recut and sold. The present value may be more than  200000 British  pounds.
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From antiquity until the early modern period, India remained the world’s foremost source of diamonds of exceptional quality, colour, and size. Long before Brazil and Africa entered the diamond trade, the famed mines of Golconda—particularly the Kollur mines in present-day Andhra Pradesh—produced gemstones that would later adorn European crowns. Among these legendary stones, the Florentine Diamond occupies a unique and enigmatic place, both for its Indian origin and for the mystery surrounding its disappearance.

The Florentine Diamond, also known as the Tuscany Diamond, the Austrian Yellow Diamond, or the Grand Duke of Tuscany Diamond, was an extraordinary gemstone weighing about 137.27 carats. Light yellow in colour with a faint green overtone, it was fashioned into a distinctive nine-sided, 126-facet double rose cut. Diamond historians agree that the stone originated in India, most probably mined from the Kollur region of the Golconda kingdom around the late 16th or early 17th century.

The early history of the Florentine Diamond is shrouded in uncertainty, a common fate for many Indian diamonds that travelled west through conquest, trade, or colonial plunder. One tradition suggests that it once belonged to Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who reportedly lost it at the Battle of Morat in 1477. Subsequently, it is believed to have passed through several eminent hands, including Pope Julius II, before reaching Florence and the powerful Medici family in the 16th century.

A more widely accepted account links the diamond to Portuguese military campaigns in southern India during the late Vijayanagar period. According to this version, Portuguese forces under the Governor of Goa, Ludovico Castro, Count of Montesanto, acquired the uncut stone after defeating an Indian ruler. The diamond later came into the possession of Jesuit authorities in Rome, from whom Ferdinando I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, eventually purchased it after prolonged negotiations. The stone was then cut during the reign of his son, Cosimo II, by a skilled Venetian cutter working in Florence.

French jeweller-traveller Jean-Baptiste Tavernier documented the diamond in 1657, confirming its presence among the Medici treasures. Following the extinction of the Medici line, the Florentine Diamond passed to the Habsburgs and became part of the Austrian Crown Jewels in Vienna. It remained there until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I.

After 1918, the diamond vanished from official records. It is widely believed that it was stolen during the political turmoil following the exile of Emperor Charles I. Unverified reports suggest that it reached the United States around 1920, where it may have been recut and sold privately. Despite persistent efforts by historians and gemologists, its present whereabouts remain unknown. Thus, the Florentine Diamond endures as a symbol of India’s lost gemstone heritage—magnificent in origin, illustrious in history, and unresolved in fate.




Author: K. N. Jayaraman
                                                         
(Revised  January 5,2026)