The Curse of The Eye of Brahma Diamond

Photo Credit: Natural History Museum | nhm.ac.uk

The Eye of Brahma Diamond also known as the Black Orlov is a 67.50 carat cushion cut diamond, mined in India during the early 1800s. According to folklore the original 195 carat diamond was stolen from a sacred shrine in Southern India, removed from the eye of a statue of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, wisdom and magic.

The diamond was later named the Black Orlov when it was acquired by the Russian Princess Nadezhda Orlov. Legend has it, that Princess Nadia, along with two of the Black Orlov’s other owners, committed suicide by jumping off of buildings, after coming into possesion of it. But these stories have not been substantiated.

In 1947, Charles F. Winson bought the diamond and cut it to its current size of 67.50 carats. It was set in a necklace made up of 124 diamonds, as the center piece of the pendant surrounded by 108 diamonds. It has since been purchased and resold by a number of times by private owners, and has been displayed at various museums around the world.

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