Diamond cushion shape

A domino-sized, cushion-shaped diamond, "Archduke Joseph," is being auctioned today, November 13, 2012 in Geneva by Christies. According to expert estimates, its price is $15 million to $20 million.

It is an exceptional cushion-cut diamond with a weight of 76.02 carats, D color (the best) and originating from the Golconde mines in India. It is a historical diamond: it belonged to the Habsburg family. Archduke Joseph (1872-1962) gave it his name and passed it on to his son Archduke Joseph Francis (1895-1957).

Decades of secrecy for this fabulous cushion diamond

In 1936, the diamond was sold to an anonymous buyer. The buyer allowed the precious cushion diamond to escape confiscation by the Nazis by hiding it in the safe of a Hungarian bank throughout World War II. In 1961, the diamond was put up for auction in London. It was only 32 years later that it reappeared in Geneva at a Christies auction: it was sold for 6.5 million dollars to a buyer who also remained anonymous. Today, 19 years later, this magnificent diamond is once again in the international spotlight!

The shape of a cushion diamond

A cushion cut diamond has a square to rectangular shape with rounded edges and large facets. The open bottom cut gives this diamond more depth. The wide facets highlight the clarity of the cushion diamond. The cushion shape of a diamond is very pretty when mounted on a ring or pendant. The cushion diamond sparkles in the light of a honeymoon or a simple candlelight dinner.

Buying a cushion diamond

To buy a cushion diamond according to your criteria of weight, color, clarity, and cut quality, we invite you to consult our online diamond catalog. All our diamonds are certified by a GIA, HRD or IGI gemmological laboratory, a true guarantee of quality when buying online. If you do not find in our catalog the cushion diamonds you are looking for, you can send us an e-mail request at info@i-diamants.com or call us from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm at +33 (0)4 22 45 08 70.