Fancy green diamonds

The most famous member of this family is the Dresden Green, which at 41 carats is largest-known natural green diamond in existence. Believed to have been discovered in a diamond mine in the Golconda district in India, it was brought to london in 1726, and was purchased by the king of Poland. It was first set in a specially commissioned badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and later in a hat ornament. For more than 200 years the diamond has been kept in a museum in Dresden, Germany, except during times of war when it was moved for safekeeping to a fortress.

Other than its size, what sets the Dresden Green apart from most other natural fancy green colored diamonds is the fact that the green color is spread uniformly throughout the stone. GIA was granted permission to study the stone in order to ascertain the exact origin of its color, but was unable to come up with a definitive finding. It did not, however, question whether it was natural, because the stone was discovered centuries before the earliest known irradiation techniques were developed.

The 25-carat Gruosi Green Diamond is considered to be the world’s second largest known natural fancy green diamond. It has been owned since 1998 by Fawaz Gruosi, owner of the Swiss Jewelry house de Grisogono, who purchased it as a 100-carat rough stone in 1998. Three quarter of its volume was lost during the cutting and polishing process, where the declared intention was to produce the largest possible fancy colored green gem.

The 31.32-carat oval-cut Chopard Chameleon diamond is actually larger, but it not strictly a green color because of its ability to change color. Indeed, it is the largest know such diamond. In natural light under normal conditions it displays an olive-green color, but after being kept in the dark for 24 hours, or when it is heated to approximately 200 degrees Celsius, it color shifts to an an intense yellow or orange-yellow hue.