86 Carrats Diamond in Istanbul Topkapı Palace
The world’s fourth largest diamond, the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, is one of the most valuable exibits of the Topkapı Palace Museum. It is on display in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and represents one of its most valuable exibits. It weighs 86 carats (17 g) on its own, and is surrounded by a double row of 49 old-mine cut diamods.
Various stories are told about the Spoonmaker’s Diamond. What makes this famous, pear-shaped diamond, so different from others is not only its size and value, but the rumors surrounding it. No one knows exactly how it appeared in Istanbul, when and where from it arrived and who was responsible for it.
Popularly accepted version of the story about the diamond was written by Rasid, the official historian of the Ottoman court. According to that story, in 1669 somewhere in Istanbul a fisherman found a shiny stone among the litter. As he did not know what it was, he showed it to a jeweler. The jeweler probably recognized its value but appeared disinterested, saying: “It’s a piece of glass, take it away if you like, or if you like I’ll give you three spoons. You brought it all the way here, at least let it be worth your trouble.” The fisherman took the spoons, and the jeweler gained a treasure! That is why it was called the Spoonmaker’s Diamond. It probably passed from hand to hand until it reappeared during the reign of Sultan Mehmet IV in the 1800s, and then finally ended its journey at the Topkapı Palace.
Another legend has appeared among historians recenty, and it says that a French officer named Pigot is believed to have purchased the diamond in 1774 from a Maharajah in India and brought it to France. The diamond then had several owners, until it was put up for auction in Paris. At the auction, Napoleon’s mother Letizia Ramolino, known as Madame Mere, purchased the diamond. When her lover, Captain Camus, was captured by Sultan Selim III and kept in captivity for years, she sent the big diamond as a present to the sultan, hoping for his salvation. According one another version of the same story, person who ultimately purchased the diamond was one of the agents of Tepelene Ali Pasha, who was in Paris at that time. When the Paşa was executed by Mehmet II for suspected treason, all his jewels were taken by the Ottoman Treasury. It is also believed by some that the diamond had belonged to the queen Marie Antoinette…