The Regent Diamond

  The Regent Diamond weighed 410 carats and was originally referred to as the Pitt. It was discovered in the Partial Mines and was one of the last largest diamonds found in India. The slave who found the diamond masked it in the bandages that covered his self-inflicted leg wound and escaped to the coast. He offered the diamond to an English sea captain in return for taking him to a free country. However, during the journey to Bombay, the captain killed the slave and stole the diamond. He then sold it to Jamchund, an Indian diamond trader, for $5,000; guilt later overcame the captain and he hanged himself. Jamchund sold the diamond to Governor Thomas Pitt of Ft. George, Madras in 1702; it sold for $100,000. This is why it was first referred to as the Pitt Diamond. Pitt had the diamond cut to 140.50 carats, this cost $25,000. Smaller diamonds cut from the Pitt sold for a total of $35,000. Philip II, who was then Regent of France, purchased the Pitt Diamond for $650,000 in 1717; hence the name Regent Diamond. Many members of the Royal Family wore the Regent. In 1792 the Regent, among many other diamonds, was robbed from the Royal Treasury. It was found fifteen months afterward. Later on in 1825, Charles X wore the Regent in the Royal Crown. In 1962 the Regent Diamond was featured as part of the Ten Centuries of French Jewelry at the Louvre Museum.