In 18th century, the Portuguese diamond was mined in Brazil. It is an octagonal cut diamond, known for its flawlessness and highest degree of clarity. The distinct feature of this stone is, when exposed to ultraviolet light, it gives a strong fluorescence and under day or artificial light, it emits light bluish haze. Harry Winston, the renowned diamond dealer, christened the diamond as "Portuguese diamond".

Amazing features of the diamond :

It is a colorless, internally flawless, octagonal emerald cut stone, weighing 127.02 carats. The peculiar feature of this stone is that it emits strong blue fluorescence under UV light and soft fluorescence is visible even in artificial and normal day light, and gives a slightly bluish tinge to the stone. Despite of emitting fluorescence, it remains a D-colored diamond, since its nitrogen atoms do not absorb the visible light. Due to the absence of structural deformation, it is structurally perfect.

The mysterious history :

There is a lack of authentic information on diamond's early history, but it is believed that the stone is originated in massive mines of Brazil and was discovered in the 18th century. It adorned the crown of Brazil's colonial master, Portugal and earned the name as "Portuguese diamond". However there is no documentary evidence to prove the above fact. After 1928, the history of the diamond seems to be well documented. From the renowned jewelry firm, Peggy Hopkins bought this stone, by giving $350,000 worth pearl necklace, instead of liquid cash. Later, it was mounted in a choker, an ornament that is worn close to the throat. In the year 1957, Harry Winston acquired the stone from Peggy and it remained with him for several years and featured in his "court of jewels exhibition", which grabbed worldwide attention. The Smithsonian institution purchased the precious stone from Harry Winston, in 1963. The current owner of the glittering stone is Natural History Museum of United States.