Mr. Christie - Auction Leaflet - The Pigot Diamond - 1802

Antique & vintage paperwork relating to the silver trade
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dognose
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Mr. Christie - Auction Leaflet - The Pigot Diamond - 1802

Post by dognose »

An auction leaflet issued by Mr. Christie regarding the sale of a brilliant diamond weighing one hundred and eighty-eight grains (47 carats), known as the Pigot Diamond. The auction was held at Mr. Christie's Great Room, Pall Mall, London, on Monday 10th May 1802:

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As can be seen from the annotation the buyer was the Princes Street, Soho, pawnbroker, William Parker, who paid £9,975, with one half of the duty of sixpence on the pound, amounting to £124 13s. 9d., amounting in all to the sum of £10,099-13s. 9d.


The Pigot Diamond, was named after Lord Pigot, Governor of Madras, who is said to have brought the diamond to England about the year 1775.

Following its acquisition by William Parker, the diamond became the subject of a lottery, the winner appears to be unrecorded, but it was known that by 1818 it was in the possession of Rundle, Bridge & Rundle, who sold it for £30,000 to the famous Ali Pasha. In 1822, Ali Pasha was mortally wounded by Kourschid, and on his death-bed gave the diamond to a Captain D'Anglas, with orders that it should be crushed to powder in his presence. This order was immediately carried out, and the diamond was utterly destroyed.

The document itself is not without interest. The annotation is likely the hand of John Francillion of Cripps & Francillon, Jewellers, 24, Norfolk Street, Strand. The document was found inserted into a book owned by Francillion that was later acquired by George Frederick Kunz, the famed mineralogist of Tiffany & Co.

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Re: Mr. Christie - Auction Leaflet - The Pigot Diamond - 1802

Post by Aguest »

George Frederick Kunz collected a vast amount of documents pertaining to mineral and gems, one of which is a collection of photographs of the Russian crown jewels which contains pics of 4 pieces which mysteriously vanished, and that is an interesting story.

Also, Kunz discovered a pink mineral called "Kunzite" and you can see his collection of minerals in the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
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