Tiffany Yellow Diamond

The Tiffany Yellow Diamond is one of the largest yellow diamonds ever discovered. It weighed 287.42 carats in the rough when discovered in 1878 in the Kimberley mine in South Africa. It was finally cut into a cushion shape equaling 128.54 carats with 90 facets, which is 32 facets more than a traditional round brilliant. The extra faceting was added in to maximize its brilliance.

The result is an exceptionally scintillating cut which returns a great deal of light to the eye. Large diamonds of comparable brilliance were not fashioned until well into the 20th century. The diamond is known to have been worn by only two women during its lifetime. It was worn by Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse at the 1957 Tiffany Ball held in Newport, Rhode Island, with it mounted for the occasion in a necklace of white diamonds. The only other person to have had the pleasure of wearing the Tiffany Yellow Diamond was Audrey Hepburn in 1961 for the publicity photographs for the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.