THE REGENT

Discovered in 1701 in India, the Regent diamond originally weighed 410 carats. The diamond was sold to Thomas Pitt who sent it to England to have it cut and polished. The result was a brilliant cushion-shaped diamond of 140 carats. In 1717, it was sold to the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France, and hence its name, The Regent. The diamond resided in many royal ornaments: the crown of Louis XV, the hair ornament of Queen Marie and as an adornment in the hat of Marie Antoinette. After the French Revolution, the stone was set in the hilt of Napoleon Bonaparte's sword. Napoleon's wife, Marie Louise, carried the Regent back to Austria upon his death. Later, her father returned it to the French crown jewels. Today, it remains in the French Royal Treasury at the Louvre in Paris.