The famous Wittselsbach diamond has a new name in honor of its new owner. The 35.56 carat stone was purchased in December by famed diamantaire Laurence Graff. The stone, now known as the Wittelsbach-Graff diamond has been recut to 31.06 carats to showcase the color and up the rating to internally flawless. type IIb, deep blue. The new version of the stone will join the 45.52-carat Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on Jan. 28.
The stone has a long history dating back to 1664 when it was given by Philip IV of Spain to his daughter, the Infanta Margarita Teresa, upon her engagement to Emperor Leopold I of Austria. The stone was later passed to the Wittelsbach family, part of the ruling house of Bavaria and takes its name from them. The crown jewels of the House of Wittelsbach were later sold at Christie's in 1931 but the blue diamond was not among them. It resurfaced in Belgium in 1951. The two stones together represent two of the finest blue diamonds in the world. While the stone is at the museum it will be tested two determine if the two stones share a common provenance.
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