A legendary, irregular, 137.27 carat, nine-sided, 126-faceted double rose cut stone that was once the great yellow diamond of the Medici Family. The Florentine is a light yellow with very slight green overtone Indian stone. Having passed legally and illegally through numerous hands, it has been called at various times the Tuscan, the Tuscany Diamond, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and even the Austrian Yellow Diamond. The stone was named after the Italian city of Florence, which was ruled by several generations of the Medici Family. It is believed the diamond emanates from India and is from either the 15th or 16th century.

The diamond is believed to have been acquired by the Medicis after the Portuguese Governor of Goa, Ludovico Castro, acquired the rough stone from the King of Vijayanagar in Southern India in the late 16th century. It then found its way to Rome where it was entrusted to the Jesuits. An alternate version states that the rough was bought by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, about 100 years before the alleged acquisition by Castro. After the stone was cut Charles the Bold wore it as a pendant around his neck.

Current whereabouts of the stone are unknown but it is believed to have been re-cut to an 80 carat diamond with no hint as to what occurred of the remainder.

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The Florentine Diamond