Diamonds are great storytellers, with history, mystery and a range of legends surrounding them. There are many famous fancy diamonds on the list that is growing. These diamonds either amaze with their interesting shapes, their powerful legends, their bright and beautiful colors or qualities. Here are the titles of some of those fancy diamonds and their tales.

Kohinoor

Original weight: 186 carats
Legend says that he who owns the Kohinoor rules the world. While the stone is said to bring misfortune and death to men who wear it, the stone is said to bring good luck to the women who adorn it. Such was the power behind this beautiful diamond, the history of which dates back to 1304. It first belonged to the Rajah of Malwa and was acquired by Nadir Shah of Persia in 1738. It was Nadir Shah who first exclaimed Koh-i-noor (mountain of light) when he saw the brilliant stone and the name remained. The stone remained in Persia up till 1849 when the British annexed Punjab and took possession of the gem. The gem was put up in the London museum for public viewing, when many exclaimed that it lacked brilliance. The stone was cut to enhance brilliance and its size reduced to 108.93 carat. In 1853, many wondered whether the queen would return the national treasure to India. However the queen mounted it up on her tiara along with other diamonds. Many other countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran have also claimed that the Kohinoor is theirs. As the stone is put up today in the Tower of London, with its history, probably this mystical diamond will never ‘belong' to anyone.

The Tiffany Yellow

Original weight: 128 carats
The Tiffany yellow has uncertain origins and it is still debated whether the stone was discovered in 1877 or 1878. Also many are uncertain whether the stone was discovered in the Kimberley mines or the De Beers mines. After obtaining the stone, it was studied by the gemologists of Paris for one year, who then decided on how to cut the stone. In its original form, the stone was an octahedron of canary yellow color. George F Kunz, a well known gemologist of those times cut the stone to give it its cushion cut shape and brilliance. Extra facets were cut to make the stone look like a blazing ember. The special quality of the Tiffany yellow is that the stone is brilliant, high in fluorescence and retains rich color both in artificial lighting and daylight.  Finally what was most amazing about the Tiffany yellow, among other yellow diamonds was its rare canary color.

The Hope Diamond

Original weight: 45 carats
Another diamond with the legend of bringing misfortune is the Hope diamond. The stone is a brilliant blue in color, attributed to the traces of boron in it. It is also said to reflect a reddish light when exposed to UV rays. The diamond is currently set in a pendant surrounded by sixteen white diamonds with a chain of 45 diamonds. Various legends speak of the misfortune the stone supposedly brings. The first legend claims that Tavernier stole the diamond from the eye of the idol of Sita, an Indian goddess. The priests thus cursed whoever had stolen the stone. Tavernier died shortly of fever. Legend also indicates that the stone was possessed by Mary Antoinette and Louis XVI, and both were beheaded. The stone is also blamed to have brought misfortune to Princesse de Lamballe who was raped, mutilated and beheaded. The stone attained its name in 1762 when a member of the Hope and Co. banking family purchased the stone. While the legends leave us deciding between fact and pure fiction, the stone currently stands preserved at the Smithsonian Natural History museum.

The Golden Jubilee Diamond

Original weight: 545.67 carats
This yellowish-brown colored diamond was discovered in 1985 in the well known Premier mines of South Africa. It was first known as the unnamed brown and was considered an ugly stone, until it was cut. Today, this diamond holds the record of being the largest faceted diamond in the world. The stone was designed by Gabi Tolkowsky in a fire rose cushion cut. While the stone originally belonged to De Beers, it was purchased by a group led by Henry Ho of Thailand in 1995. The diamond reportedly received the papal blessings of Pope John Paul II, in the Vatican, Supreme Buddhist Patriarch and the Supreme Imam in Thailand. Finally the stone was given to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand in 1997 for his Golden Jubilee of coronation. It was only then that the unnamed brown took its current name. Legend has it that the officials of Thailand told the citizens that the stone was just a large topaz as they did not want people to be concerned about the money spent on it. That was the time when Thailand was going through financial troubles. The stone was mounted in a royal seal and is currently located in the Royal Thai palace as part of the crown jewels.

What is common among the blue lili, the Great Chrysanthemum, Darya-ye-noor, the Dresden Green, the Graff Pink supreme, Great Mougal, Heart of Eternity, and the Red Cross, is that they are all names of the famous fancy colored diamonds across the world. These diamonds are not only strikingly beautiful in shape and legend but also have immense value. Their colors are vivid too, with the Pumpkin diamond being the largest in bright orange, the Stienmetz pink diamond being the brightest pink one and the Heart of Eternity diamond being a bright and vivid blue. With the aura that surrounds all of these precious gems, one always stops to wonder at the marvel of this stone. We at Gemisimo choose to conclude that perhaps there is no stone as beautiful, as precious and as mysterious as the diamond.