Regent Diamond History: From Golconda Mines to Louvre – A Tale of Greed, Empire, and Power

The Regent Diamond, one of history’s most fabled gems, has once again captured global attention following a recent museum theft alert in France. Now safeguarded within the Louvre Museum, its glittering yet grim legacy traces back to 17th-century southern India, to the fabled Kollur mines along the Krishna River — the birthplace of many legendary diamonds from the Golconda region.

According to legend, the diamond was discovered by a slave miner during the 1687 siege of Golconda under Emperor Aurangzeb. In a desperate attempt to escape with his treasure, the miner hid the gem inside a wound on his leg — a tragic concealment that ultimately led to betrayal and murder. The English sea captain who learned of the stone killed the miner and sold the gem to the Indian merchant Jamchand.

“The early history of the diamond is one of greed and deceit – a single gem which changed hands stained by ambition,” wrote Joan Y. Dickinson in The Book of Diamonds (1965).

From Madras to London: The Pitt Diamond Era

In 1701, Thomas Pitt, then Governor of Fort St. George (Madras), purchased the diamond from Jamchand for 48,000 pagodas — a fortune in those times. Weighing 426 carats in its rough form, the diamond was secretly shipped to London, hidden in the heel of Pitt’s son’s shoe. Master cutter Harris spent nearly two years fashioning it into a 141-carat cushion-cut masterpiece, an undertaking that cost £5,000 — an astronomical amount in the early 18th century.

The gem’s notoriety spread quickly. Satirist Alexander Pope mocked Pitt’s moral compromise in Moral Essays, fueling rumors of theft and colonial greed. Historian Dale Perelman later described the stone as “a treasure sullied by colonial greed and moral complexity.”

The French Regent and the Age of Crowns

Failing to find buyers in England, Pitt sold the diamond in 1717 to Philippe II, Duke of Orléans — then Regent of France — for £135,000, equivalent to over £26 million today. Renamed Le Régent, the gem became part of the French Crown Jewels. It graced the crowns of Louis XV, Louis XVI, and Charles X, and even adorned the hat of Queen Marie Antoinette.

During the chaos of the French Revolution, the Crown Jewels were looted, but the Regent Diamond was miraculously recovered from a Paris attic. Napoleon Bonaparte later had it mounted in the hilt of his ceremonial sword — a glittering emblem of imperial authority.

Empire, Exile, and Eternal Brilliance

Following Napoleon’s downfall, his wife Marie Louise carried the gem to Vienna. Eventually, it returned to France and was worn by later monarchs, including Louis XVIII and Napoleon III. Since 1887, the Regent Diamond has been proudly displayed in the Louvre Museum, mounted in a diadem crafted for Empress Eugénie.

Valued today at over $60 million, the 141-carat Regent is hailed by the International Gem Society as “one of the purest diamonds ever cut, combining flawless clarity with an unmatched royal legacy.”

From the depths of Indian earth to the grandeur of European empires, the Regent Diamond’s story glitters with ambition, betrayal, and history’s enduring fascination with beauty and power.