Considered the finest gem in the Egyptian Treasury, the Pasha “weighs 40 carats, is of octagonal form, is brilliant cut, and is of very good quality and lively”, according to reports.
Fact Sheet
• Weight: 40 carats
• Dimensions: 23.5mm x 23.5mm x 10.81mm
• Colour: colourless
• Rough weight: unknown
• Origin: unknown; either Brazil or India
• Date found: unknown
• Current location: privately owned
Unfortunately, this is tough to verify because the gem’s whereabouts are presently unknown. Rumour suggests it was purchased for £28,000 by Ibrahim Pasha, but inquiries have not uncovered whether this is true or not.
Balfour’s Famous Diamonds alternately states that Barbara Hutton purchased the diamond from King Farouk of Egypt in the 1940s. Hutton then had it cut into a 36-carat round brilliant, as she did not like the octagonal shape.
Other rumours say the Pasha remains in the Treasury headquarters on the banks of the Nile, but in these days of change and trouble in the region, it is questionable whether anyone outside a certain official circle can say what particular spot the Pasha may be resting.
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ABOUT SCOTT SUCHER
When one thinks of diamonds, Tijeras, New Mexico is not the first place that springs to mind, but it’s home to Scott Sucher, the Master behind the research and replicas that form the World Famous Diamonds.
Scott Sucher’s lifelong interest in geology commenced when a local museum hosted an exhibition of famous diamonds made of quartz when he was just a young boy. Whenever he could find time in his busy life, he published a collection of internet articles and lectures.
After retirement, Sucher returned to stone cutting with renewed vigour when a Discovery Channel producer requested help for a program on famous diamonds. The 14-month collaboration resulted in Unsolved History: the Hope Diamond, which first aired in February 2005.
The program gave Sucher the chance to handle the unset Hope diamond, the 31-carat Blue Heart diamond and Napoleon’s necklace – a 234-diamond necklace that Napoleon gave to his second wife Marie-Louise.
Sucher then worked with the Natural History Museum in London to recreate a replica of the historic Koh-i-noor. The entire process took 12 months – photo analysis took four months alone – and concluded in July 2007. The cutting alone took 46 hours, and Sucher likened it to “brain surgery, as one mistake can be non-recoverable.”
Sucher continues his work in partnership with many other experts and museums in the field. If anyone knows anything about the world’s most famous diamonds, it’s Scott Sucher.
To follow his ongoing works click here.
