Discovered in South Africa around 1880, this cushion-shaped yellow diamond, currently weighing 101.29 carats, is named after one of its owners. In 1953 Cartier set it on a flower brooch. Sold at auction in 1996, the Allnatt was then one of the most expensive diamonds in the world.
In the early 1880s, a South African mine yielded a yellow stone whose weight and intensity left no doubt that this was a diamond of most unusual color. Cut into a cushion shape, its 102.11 carats and its color guaranteed that it would rank among the most famous of gemstones.
In 1953, Cartier set the diamond on a brooch depicting a flower with five petals, made of platinum set with baguette-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds.
The diamond came up for sale in Geneva in 1996. It fetched a price that went far beyond the initial estimate, making it one of the most expensive diamonds ever sold at auction.
Its new owners had it recut to intensify its brilliance, losing slightly less than one carat in weight.
Now weighing 101.29 carats, the Allnatt diamond is certified by the Gemological Institute of America as a type Ib Fancy Vivid Yellow stone with a clarity grade of VS2.