“Beau Sancy” - the Modified Pear Double Rose Cut diamond weighing 34.98 carats (Sotheby's Geneva)

The diamond world is holding its breath in anticipation of the historic auction which features the Beau Sancy diamond, a splendid, brilliant gem weighing 34 carats. It was discovered four centuries ago and handed down by royalty.

It was first bought by Prince Frederick Henry of Orange, and passed along to the Prussian Royal Treasury after his death in 1647. It was also worn by Princess Mary of Sachen-Altenburg at her wedding.

The earliest recording of the diamond comes from Nicholas Harlay de Sancy, a diplomat and monarchist who wrote about the Beau Sancy, or “Little Sancy,” as early as 1589. It is considered to be “the little brother” of the Sancy, one of the most celebrated gems in modern history, a 55.23-carat masterpiece.

In 1972, the diamonds were reunited thanks to Prince Louis Ferdinand, the head of the Hohenzollern family who owned the stones. The prince came to Helsinki to open an exhibition titled “Two Historic Diamonds,” in which he put the Beau Sancy on display.

These two diamonds are considered some of the rarest pieces, and information is chronicled in Edwin Streeter’s renowned work, “Great Diamonds of the World.”

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Martha Stewart might not be the first name people associate with diamonds, but given that the reigning queen of crafts has quite an interest in weddings, perhaps it’s not a surprise 

Martha Stewart at the 10th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival (David Shankbon)

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In today's world, summer is often associated with hot weather, ice cream, vacation and plenty of time in air-conditioned movie theaters. While some people like to come up with their top dance films, or the best action movies, at the Israel Diamond Portal, we prefer to think about the top diamond movies.

Of course, there's the James Bond classic "Diamonds Are Forever." In the 1971 film, 007 takes on South African diamond smugglers by disguising himself as a smuggler, too. Then there's the even more classic "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," in which Marilyn Monroe sings the famous song, "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."

 
The 1988 film "A Fish Called Wanda" tells the story Wanda (Jamie Lee Curtis) who plots a great diamond heist. And in the 1963 version of "The Pink Panther," the notorious jewel thief Sir Charles is after Princess Dala's large diamond called the "Pink Panther" with clumsy Inspector Clouseau on his heels.

In Guy Ritchie's 2000 flick "Snatch," bare-knuckle boxers, corrupt bookies, diamond dealers and gangsters all stumble their way along as they try to figure out what happened to a priceless diamond that was stolen.

On a more controversial level than plain old robbery is the 2006 movie "Blood Diamond," in which Leonardo DiCaprio hunts for a large pink diamond surrounded by the African conflict diamond wars.

Perhaps the dreamiest diamond of them all to grace the big screen in recent years was the heart-shaped blue diamond called "The Heart of the Ocean." It was saved by Rose from the sea as the Titanic sank in the 1997 film "Titanic," only to be returned to the water toward the end of the film. 

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