The pear-cut, 67.89 carat (240 carats rough), brownish-yellow Victoria-Transvaal diamond was discovered in the Transvaal, South Africa. The first cutting produced a 75 carat, 116-facet stone. The re-cutting reduced the stone’s depth and weight by just over 7 carats but made the stone more brilliant.
Named after both its place of discovery – Transvaal, and its owner – Victoria Wilkinson, who wore the stone in a necklace designed by Baumgold Brothers Inc. The diamond is on a gold chain with 66 round brilliant-cut diamonds, fringed with ten drop motifs, each set with two marquise-cut diamonds, a pear-shaped diamond, and a small round brilliant-cut diamond (the total weight of the 106 diamonds is approximately 45 carats).
It was bequeathed by the Wilkinsons to the Smithsonian Institute in 1977.
The Victoria-Transvaal among other notable diamonds in the Smithsonian's collection:
The Portuguese Diamond , the 16 carat Pearson colorless diamond, the De Young Pink Pear shape, the
Blue Heart, the yellow Oppenheimer Diamond Crystal and an unnamed oval-shaped diamond.
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