Perhaps there is no famous diamond with a more disputed history than that of the Orlov. Through the passage of time so many stories and legends have attached themselves to this impressive stone that separating fact from fiction has become an impossible task. Even its origins are in question. The stone was mined in India, most probably in the Golconda region, but when and where it went is undocumented. Yet, because of its murky history and legendary travels, the Orlov is a most fascinating diamond.
If one wants to believe the most popular account, the Orlov story begins somewhere in the middle of the 18th century revolving around a French soldier who had deserted from the Indian Service. Taking up residence near a Hindu temple on the island of Srirangam, the French deserter hears stories of an idol located within the temple whose eyes are set with two large diamonds. Much to the French deserter’s chagrin, he discovers no Christians are allowed access to the innermost reaches of the shrine. Undaunted, this former soldier hatches a plan. He disguises himself as a devotee and, over a period of years and with careful planning and execution, establishes himself as a guardian of the inner shrine. His patience is finally rewarded when one stormy night he pries one of the diamonds from the idol, leaving the other intact, and escapes with it to the safety of the English army at Madras. While in Madras he sells the stone to an English sea captain for a reported £2,000. Upon the captain’s return to London, legend has it he sells it to a diamond dealer for a profitable £12,000.
If one wants to believe the most popular account, the Orlov story begins somewhere in the middle of the 18th century revolving around a French soldier who had deserted from the Indian Service. Taking up residence near a Hindu temple on the island of Srirangam, the French deserter hears stories of an idol located within the temple whose eyes are set with two large diamonds. Much to the French deserter’s chagrin, he discovers no Christians are allowed access to the innermost reaches of the shrine. Undaunted, this former soldier hatches a plan. He disguises himself as a devotee and, over a period of years and with careful planning and execution, establishes himself as a guardian of the inner shrine. His patience is finally rewarded when one stormy night he pries one of the diamonds from the idol, leaving the other intact, and escapes with it to the safety of the English army at Madras. While in Madras he sells the stone to an English sea captain for a reported £2,000. Upon the captain’s return to London, legend has it he sells it to a diamond dealer for a profitable £12,000.
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