Current weight: 189.62 carats
Cut: Mughal rose cut (high dome, faceted; retains original Indian cutting style)
Colour: Pale blue-green with slight yellowish tint
Type: IIa (no nitrogen)
Origin: Golconda, India
Purchased by Count Grigory Orlov: Amsterdam, 1775 (approximately 400,000 roubles)
Presented to: Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, 1775
Set in: Imperial Sceptre, approximately 1770/1775
Current location: Diamond Fund, Kremlin Armoury, Moscow
Sources: Diamond Fund, Kremlin Museum official documentation; Balfour, I. (1987), Famous Diamonds, Christie's Publications
The temple legend
The most widely repeated account of the Orlov's early history, that it was the eye of the deity Ranganatha at the Srirangam temple in Tamil Nadu, stolen by a French grenadier named Defries who disguised himself as a Hindu devotee, is contested by historians. There is no corroborating documentary evidence for the temple theft, and the story appears to have been attached to the stone in the 18th century. The Orlov's Golconda origin and Mughal-era Indian cut are documented; the temple provenance is likely legend (Balfour, 1987, op. cit., pp. 96–98; scholarly analysis of Orlov provenance).
What is documented: the stone was in Amsterdam in the 1770s, sold by an Armenian merchant named Gregorievitch to Count Grigory Orlov for a very large sum. The Armenian diamond merchants who facilitated the trade between Indian diamond sources and European buyers were a significant intermediary network in the 17th and 18th century diamond trade (Balfour, 1987; historical documentation of Armenian diamond merchants in the European trade).
Catherine the Great's sceptre
Count Grigory Orlov was Catherine the Great's favourite for over a decade before their relationship cooled in the early 1770s. His gift of the Orlov Diamond in 1775, reportedly an attempt to regain her favour, was accepted. Catherine had the diamond mounted in the Imperial Sceptre, which became one of the principal symbols of Russian imperial power. The sceptre was used at coronations and state ceremonies until the end of the Romanov dynasty in 1917 (Diamond Fund documentation; Balfour, 1987, op. cit., pp. 98–102).
The Diamond Fund today
The Diamond Fund (Алмазный фонд) of the Moscow Kremlin has been open to visitors since 1967. It displays the principal historic jewels of the Russian imperial state, including the Imperial Sceptre with the Orlov Diamond, the Imperial Crown of Catherine the Great, the Imperial Orb, and a collection of exceptional diamonds from Russian mines including the 342.92-carat Orlov rough replica and the 199.60-carat Shah Diamond. The Diamond Fund is located in the Armoury building of the Kremlin. Advance booking is recommended (Kremlin Museums, kremlin.museum-moscow.ru).
Primary sources
Diamond Fund, Kremlin Museum official documentation. kremlin.museum-moscow.ru. [Orlov Diamond: 189.62ct, mounted in Imperial Sceptre; Catherine the Great; gift from Count Grigory Orlov (1775); current location and display.]
Balfour, I. (1987). Famous Diamonds. Christie's Publications, London, pp. 96–104. [Golconda origin, Mughal rose cut, Armenian merchant chain, Count Orlov's Amsterdam purchase (1775, approximately 400,000 roubles), gift to Catherine the Great, Imperial Sceptre setting.]