The Florentine Diamond: The Jewel That Vanished for a Century

In this episode of Gem Pursuit, we tell the extraordinary story of one of history’s greatest lost diamonds - the legendary Florentine.

A pale yellow diamond of almost 140 carats, the Florentine passed through some of Europe’s most powerful dynasties, from the Medici family to the Habsburg emperors, before disappearing in the chaos that followed the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

For more than a century, its fate remained one of the great unsolved mysteries in gem history. Was it stolen, recut, or lost forever?

Now, after over 100 years in the shadows, the Florentine has resurfaced - and its survival opens a new chapter in a story shaped by empire, exile, war and inheritance.

In this episode, Matthew Weldon and Fenia Sigkoudi explore the stone’s disputed origins, its links to the Mughal world, its place in the Habsburg treasury, and the remarkable events that led to its rediscovery.

This is part three of our ongoing diamond series.

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This podcast was produced for Courtville by Tape Deck