The Florentine Diamond — one of the storied jewels of the Medici and Habsburg dynasties — has resurfaced in Canada after being thought misplaced for greater than a century. The discovery, revealed collectively by The New York Times and Der Spiegel, ends a long time of hypothesis over the destiny of the 137-carat yellow diamond, lacking for the reason that collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1919.
According to The New York Times, three descendants of Charles I, the final emperor of Austria-Hungary, not too long ago opened a financial institution vault in Quebec to disclose the gem and different household jewels. They mentioned the diamond had been hidden there for the reason that household fled to Canada throughout the Second World War.
Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, a grandson of Charles I, advised the newspaper that the diamond’s location had been saved secret on the request of Empress Zita, who needed it undisclosed for 100 years after her husband’s dying in 1922. “The much less folks find out about it, the larger the safety,” he mentioned.
The Florentine Diamond’s historical past stretches again to Florence’s Medici court docket, the place it adorned the regalia of the Grand Dukes within the seventeenth century. Historical data attribute its acquisition to Ferdinando I de’ Medici, who possible obtained the gem within the late 1500s and had it lower in Florence. After the extinction of the Medici line, the diamond handed to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine by means of the wedding of Francis Stephen and Maria Theresa of Austria, linking Florence’s Renaissance heritage with Europe’s imperial legacy.
Jeweller Christoph Köchert, of the Vienna agency that when served because the Habsburgs’ court docket jewellers, examined the gem and confirmed its authenticity. Its distinctive lower, yellow hue and 137.17-carat weight all match historic data.
The household says it now intends to put the diamond and different gadgets in a belief and exhibit them in Canada as a gesture of due to the nation that sheltered the exiled imperial household throughout the struggle. Meanwhile, Austria’s vice chancellor and tradition minister Andreas Babler has introduced a assessment to find out whether or not the diamond may very well be thought of state property below post-imperial laws.
Despite its Florentine origins, the Habsburg household has made no point out of any return of the diamond to Florence or Italy. For now, plans for public show concern solely Canada.
Whether it would in the future return to Europe stays unclear, however for now, one among Florence’s most well-known jewels has reappeared removed from house — intact, genuine and nonetheless glittering after a century in the dead of night.
(Cover picture: Ferdinando I de’ Medici)
❤️ Support Florence Daily News
If you preferred this text, please contemplate supporting Florence Daily News.
We are an impartial information website, free from paywalls and intrusive adverts, dedicated to offering clear and dependable reporting on Florence and Tuscany for everybody.
Your help — whether or not a one-time present or a daily contribution — helps us keep impartial and hold telling the tales that matter.
Donate securely through Stripe beneath.
Make a one-time donation
Make a month-to-month donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an quantity
Or enter a customized quantity
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Related
Discover extra from Florence Daily News
Subscribe to get the newest posts despatched to your e mail.
