Bazu
Hexagonal Form
Carre Arrondi (rounded square) form
Specifications
| Weight | 32.62 carats |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 17.74 x 12.44 deep (hex); 22.88 x 21.56 x 8.95 (CA) |
| Color | Colorless (hex); Light blue (CA) |
| Weight of Rough | Unknown |
| Origin | India or Brazil |
| Date Found | Unknown |
| Current Location | Stolen in 1792, not recovered |
Details
The Bazu Diamond: A Mysterious Jewel Lost to History, Unlike Today’s Grown Diamonds
The Bazu was a historically significant diamond weighing 32.62 carats. Though only mentioned once in historical records, its placement was extraordinary—it adorned the Order of the Golden Fleece, arguably the most extravagant single piece of jewellery in 18th-century Europe. This ornament, commissioned around 1749 by King Louis XV, was a masterpiece that featured not only the French Blue diamond (later recut into the Hope Diamond) and the Bazu but also five ~5 carat brilliant diamonds, the 107.88-carat Côte de Bretagne spinel, three ~10 carat yellow sapphires, and hundreds of smaller diamonds.
In September 1792, during the French Revolution, the Golden Fleece was stolen along with many other French Crown Jewels. The piece was disassembled, the French Blue transformed into the Hope Diamond, and the Côte de Bretagne spinel eventually recovered. However, the Bazu and most of the other stones vanished, lost to time.
Unlike today’s grown diamonds, which can be reproduced with scientific precision and fully documented origins, the Bazu remains shrouded in mystery. There are contradictory historical records and confusion surrounding its true nature.
The Two Bazus: Contradictions in the Record
Historical references speak of two stones known as the Bazu:
- The first was set in the Golden Fleece, described as a 32.62 carat colourless (or very light blue) diamond.
- The second began as a 104-carat rough diamond, heavily flawed with inclusions, eventually cut down to 8 carats before disappearing from records.
Experts such as Morel (1988) and Bari (2001) describe the Bazu as a hexagonal colourless stone, citing a drawing by Hirtz and originally reported by Bapst (1889). However, this interpretation clashes with the 1791 Crown Jewels inventory, which does not list any hexagonal diamond.
Instead, it mentions:
“Un très grand diamant brilliant, carré arrondi, d’eau un peu céleste…”
(“A very grand brilliant diamond, rounded square, a color of a very light sky blue…”), weighing 31 12/16 carats, or 32.62 metric carats—an exact match to the Bazu’s reported weight.
This supports the rounded square or carré arrondi shape over the hexagonal one. In the age before digital gem certification, records were visual, interpretive, and sometimes speculative. Drawings by Jacquemin, the court jeweller, show both versions, suggesting they were likely concept proposals rather than exact documentation.
Line Drawings vs. Reality: Reconstructing the Bazu
Diamond illustrations from past centuries are often inconsistent. For example, Tillander (1995) presents six different versions of the Sancy Diamond, a well-known historical gem. Likewise, several sources depict seven different shapes for the Florentine Diamond. These variations demonstrate that historical images were approximations rather than definitive blueprints.
To recreate the Bazu, Sucher and Francois Farges (professor of mineralogy at the Muséum National D’Histoire Naturelle in Paris) focused on the 1791 inventory, considered highly reliable due to its royal mandate and verification process. This points to a very light blue, rounded square diamond—not a hexagonal form.
Given the presumed shallow cut and exact weight, experts estimated the stone’s depth at about 8.95 mm, making it extremely thin for its size. Though unusual by today’s standards, such characteristics can be reproduced using created diamonds, which offer modern gem cutters the ability to replicate antique proportions with scientific precision.
Historical Mystery Meets Modern Possibility with Created Diamonds
The Bazu diamond’s fate may forever remain unknown, but its story lives on. Today, technology allows us to revive historical designs using grown diamond methods that maintain the beauty of natural gems while offering transparency, sustainability, and affordability.
Created diamonds offer:
- Controlled origin and quality
- Environmentally conscious production
- Historical cut reproduction (e.g., Old Mine cut used in the Bazu)
- Custom shapes, including rare forms like rounded square brilliant
- Using a created diamond, jewellers could faithfully replicate the Bazu as it once appeared in the Golden Fleece, reviving a lost masterpiece for modern collectors or museums.
Whether rounded square or hexagonal, the Bazu diamond remains a jewel cloaked in legend. Its story not only showcases the opulence of French royalty but also contrasts sharply with the modern clarity and control offered by today’s created diamonds. While natural diamonds like the Bazu once symbolized mystery and prestige, grown diamonds now provide a way to honour that history with elegance, ethics, and innovation.