New York City Museum will display one of the rarest diamonds in the world. It is called the Wittelsbach - Graff Diamond. It will be on display in the Museum of Natural History starting this Thursday until January 2, 2011.
The original Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond was a 31.06 carats (6.21 g) 'Fancy Deep Blue' diamond with internally flawless clarity. It was discovered in India during the 17th century. Also known as Der Blaue Wittelsbacher it used to belong to the Habsburg family. It was brought to Munich in 1722 by Maria Amalia when she wed Charles of Bavaria, a Wittelsbach.
Original Wittelsbach-Graff Diamond 2009
In 1745 it was mounted on the Order of the Golden Fleece and in 1806 Bravaria's first king Maximilian IV Joseph von Wittelsbach set the diamond in his royal crown. In 1931 the family tried to sell the diamond and could not find a suitable purchaser.
Finally in 1960 a jeweller Joseph Komkommer in partnership with others secured the stone and it became part of a private collection. It was bought by Laurence Graff a London based jeweller in 2008 for the price of $24.3 million. According to Christie's that is a world record for any diamond or jewel sold at an auction.
Immediately following the sale, Graff announced his intention to recut the gem to remove damage to the girdle and enhance the color. On 7 January 2010, it was reported that the diamond had been recut to enhance the stone's color and clarity, losing over 4.45 carats (890 mg) in the process. The resulting stone has been renamed the Wittlesbach-Graff.