The Most Famous Black Diamonds in History
From the cursed Black Orlov to the Amsterdam Diamond, a handful of black diamonds have shaped public perception of these stones — and left a trail of remarkable stories across centuries.
The Black Orlov (67.50 carats)
Perhaps the most famous black diamond in the world, the Black Orlov — also known as the Eye of Brahma — is a 67.50-carat cushion-cut stone with a history stretching back to 19th-century India. According to legend, it was stolen from a statue of the Hindu god Brahma, earning a reputation as cursed.
The stone passed through several owners in the 20th century, some of whom died under mysterious circumstances, which only deepened the legend. It was eventually re-cut from its original 195-carat rough to break the supposed curse, and today resides in private hands, having last appeared at auction in the early 2000s.
The Amsterdam Diamond (33.74 carats)
The Amsterdam Diamond is a pear-shaped natural black diamond weighing 33.74 carats, named after the city where it was first publicly exhibited. It is considered one of the most significant examples of a natural black diamond in a jewelry setting — a pear-cut form that showcases the stone's distinctive metallic luster.
Unlike many historic black diamonds whose provenance involves unverified legend, the Amsterdam Diamond has a documented exhibition history and represents a benchmark in the presentation of black diamonds as serious, high-value gemstones.
The Spirit of de Grisogono (312.24 carats)
The Spirit of de Grisogono is, by weight, the largest cut black diamond in the world at 312.24 carats. It was found in West Africa and cut by the Swiss jeweler de Grisogono, who set it in a white gold ring surrounded by 702 white diamonds.
The stone's scale — greater than many of the world's most famous colorless diamonds by multiple factors — illustrates one of the key characteristics of natural black diamonds: they are found at carat weights that would be extraordinary, even impossible, for other fancy colors.