Famous Diamonds: The Tiffany Yellow Diamond

The Tiffany Diamond is one of the world's largest yellow diamonds. Discovered in South Africa in 1877, the 287-carat rough diamond was purchased by New York Jeweler Charles Tiffany for $18,000, which led to him being nicknamed the King of Diamonds.

Tiffany's American staff gemologist, George Frederick Kunz, analyzed the rough stone's structure for a year in Paris before cutting the yellow diamond in 1878 to its current 128.54-carat weight and cushion-cut. The polished yellow cushion diamond measures 28.25 x 27 x 22.2 millimeters, has 40 facets on the crown, 48 facets on the crown, a table, and a culet. While described as a cushion-cut brilliant, the Tiffany Yellow was originally reported to have the 90 facets, compared to the 58 facets (plus table and culet) in a traditional Brilliant Cut. Recent news reports describe the diamond as having 82 facets, with the difference probably due to how facets at the girdle are counted.

It is doubtful the Tiffany Yellow Diamond has ever been examined in an independent grading laboratory. The of the color of this diamond is typically described by Tiffany's as Canary Yellow or Golden-Yellow, which are not official color grades. Speculation is that its true color might contain a brownish component and that Tiffany's did not want to have that "low value" color perception tied to their valuable stone. The diamond is high in fluorescence adding to the mystery of identifying its color. The clarity of the Tiffany Diamond is described as VS1 clarity although that is Tiffany's description and not an official laboratory grade.

Tiffany had the diamond shipped to the United States in 1879 where it was on display in Tiffany's store and at various exhibitions. Millions of people viewed the Tiffany Yellow from around turn of the century until the 1971 move to South Africa for display at the centennial commemoration of the Kimberly Mine. In 1986, the Tiffany Diamond moved to London to highlight the re-opening of a Tiffany's branch store.

The Tiffany Yellow, valued at $12 million in 1983 and now rumored to be valued at $250 million, has only been worn twice. The first occasion was in 1957 at the Tiffany Ball in Newport, Rhode Island when the chairwomen of the ball, Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse, worn the magnificent stone in a necklace of white diamonds.

The second public wearing of the Tiffany Yellow was in 1961 for a publicity promotion for the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's," staring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. Based on a novel by Truman Capote, the film lifted Tiffany's image and increased its appeal to millions of moviegoers worldwide. The Tiffany Yellow worn by Audrey Hepburn was set in the "Ribbons Necklace," a gold and diamond creation designed by Jean Schlumberger in 1960.

The diamond was recently on special display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. From April 11, 2007 until September 23, 2007, the current setting for the Tiffany Diamond is a gem-encrusted bird known as the "Bird on a Rock," which was designed by Jean Schlumberger in the 1960s. The jeweled bird is made of platinum and gold metal, white and yellow diamonds, and a ruby eye.