Krupp Diamond is an asscher cut diamond. It evokes the name of a timeless icon of glamour – Elizabeth Taylor. Just the mention of her name conjures up images of her memorable roles, violet eyes, and Elizabeth Taylor’s beautiful jewelry. We can rightfully say that Taylor had a life-long love affair with natural diamond jewelry. But one stone in particular stands out amongst all of the treasures she amassed: The Krupp Diamond.
Krupp-Elizabeth-Taylor-Diamond
We don’t know a lot about the diamond’s history before the early twentieth century. Connoisseurs conjecture that it could have been unearthed from South Africa’s celebrated Jagersfontein Mine or India’s legendary Golconda mines. The Asscher cut of the stone also leads us to believe that the stone was carved out around the 1920s. The Cut is a hallmark of the art-deco era. A large open culet and rectangular corners distinguish the stone’s cut.
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Krupp Diamond Attributes: |
The stone has been confirmed as Type IIa. This is a rarest of rare classification. It denotes a chemically pure stone with complete colorlessness and perfect crystalline structure.
Also, the gemstone enjoys the exalted “blue white” trade classification denoting optical fidelity. Consequently, Krupp Diamond stands in the august company of the Cullinan I and the Koh-i-Noor, two of history’s most venerable diamonds.
The Gemological Institute of America grades this 33.19 carat stone as D colorless. Also they have graded it with vs1 clarity. Various reports however, describe the Krupp Diamond as potentially internal flawless. You could recut the stone just a little further and enhance the already outstanding piece.
Refer to this GIA page: The Elizabeth Taylor Diamond: A Legendary Gem | GIA 4Cs
The above page says this about the Asscher cut Krupp diamond. Quote “This cut-cornered rectangular step cut, called an Asscher cut, was originally known as the Krupp Diamond.” Unquote.
Refer to this GIA certificate: GIA – Report Check
The above page calls the shape of the Asscher cut Krupp diamond as Quote “Cut-Cornered Rectangular Step Cut” Unquote.
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History of The Krupp Elizabeth Taylor Diamond: |
Vera Krupp, a German actress, owned the diamond before anybody else. Her wealthy steel magnate husband Alfred Krupp, gave her the diamond in a ring around the year 1955.
Later, she settled in America after her divorce. Here she bought the 500-acre Spring Mountain Ranch outside Las Vegas. She lost (and refound) the diamond ring after an infamous theft. [Read About The Krupp Diamond Theft Here] Ranch robbers tied her up and stole it directly from her finger in 1959. The thieves pried out the Krupp as well as other tapered baguette-cut accent stones from the setting to fence them off. Even so, the FBI traced and recovered all the stones with alacrity. Harry Winston restored the gems to their original platinum band.
Krupp Diamond Theft
A stunning 33.19-carat Asscher-cut diamond once belonged a German actress named vera krupp who became an American socialite. This remarkable gem, set in a platinum ring with two baguette-cut diamonds flanking its sides, was one of her most prized possessions. Estimated at $275,000 in 1959, this dazzling blue-white diamond was a symbol of affluence and prestige. Krupp, who acquired vast wealth through her marriage to German industrialist Alfred Krupp, was rarely seen without it on her finger.
A Violent Heist at a Remote Nevada Ranch
On April 10, 1959, Krupp’s serene life took a dramatic turn when armed intruders stormed her sprawling Spring Mountain Ranch, located 26 miles outside Las Vegas. Posing as workers offering to resurface her driveway, three men forced their way into the residence. They overpowered Krupp and her foreman, tying them back-to-back with a lamp cord. The criminals forcibly removed the diamond ring from her finger, drawing blood in the process.
Beyond the ring, the thieves made off with an estimated $700,000 in cash, a revolver, and a camera. With the ranch’s phone line disabled, the victims had no way to call for help. Instead, they drove to the Las Vegas airport to alert law enforcement. The FBI quickly stepped in, suspecting that the stolen diamond would be transported across state lines.
A Nationwide Search for the Elusive Diamond
The FBI’s investigation soon led to a prime suspect—John William Hagenson, a wanted fugitive linked to a similar heist in California. Agents across multiple field offices tracked Hagenson’s movements as he crisscrossed the country, eventually apprehending him in Louisiana.
As the investigation into the Krupp Diamond Theft progressed, another lead surfaced in Newark, New Jersey. A criminal informant tipped off federal agents that a local grocer was trying to sell an unusually large diamond. This information pointed them to James Reves, one of the three robbers.
A raid on Reves’ hotel room in Elizabeth, New Jersey, proved successful. Agents discovered the stolen center diamond hidden inside the lining of his coat. Meanwhile, the two smaller baguette-cut diamonds were later recovered from a jeweler in St. Louis.
Justice Served, A Diamond Restored
By November 1959, the case went to trial. Reves and two other accomplices were convicted on November 20, while additional suspects, including Hagenson, were found guilty in the weeks that followed. However, Hagenson later managed to overturn his conviction on appeal.
With the FBI’s relentless pursuit, every stolen diamond was recovered, allowing Vera Krupp to restore her treasured ring. Following her passing, the iconic diamond was sold at auction in 1968 for a record-breaking $307,000. The buyer? Richard Burton, who famously gifted the diamond to his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. The legendary gem remained in Elizabeth Taylor’s collection for decades until it was auctioned again after her passing.
This extraordinary diamond, once at the center of a high-stakes crime, continues to be a symbol of beauty, history, and intrigue.
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The Diamond is Auctioned: |
The year 1968 saw the Krupp diamond go up for auction at Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York. A fierce bidding war ensued between the actor Richard Burton and Harry Winston himself on May 16th, 1968. The former made the successful bid and acquired the diamond ring at a purchase price of $305,000. The price set a record for the highest price ever paid at an auction for a diamond ring at the time. Burton presented it to Elizabeth Taylor as a romantic gift.
Krupp-Elizabeth-Taylor-Diamond
Taylor wore her collection of jewelry both on stage and on screen. Furthermore, she wore them whenever she felt it was appropriate for any personal appearance. As a result, Taylor became synonymous with her jewelry. The diamond came to be renamed as the ‘Elizabeth Taylor Diamond.’
The impact of her persona was such that she was animated wearing the ring when she played herself as a cartoon character in the season four finale of FOX series ‘The Simpsons’ in 1993.
Taylor passed away in 2011. Thereafter, her estate asked Christie’s to auction the well-known ring along with a lot of 80 other pieces from her collection. A Korean retail company purchased the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond for over $8.8 million.
Here is an article about Asscher Cut Diamonds: https://www.mensjewlery.org/asscher-cut-diamond/
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