Tea at Trianon: Le Grand Mazarin

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Le Grand Mazarin

Cardinal Mazarin

From Only Natural Diamonds:

Every man who has tasted power will always want more, says the legend. His Eminence Cardinal Mazarin was the Chief Minister of France from 1642 to 1661. He ruled under two kings. In between, he also governed under the regency of Anne of Austria, when Louis XIV was a child. But it wasn’t enough for him. On his deathbed, Mazarin chose to never give up power. His clinching argument: a priceless diamond from the legendary mines of Golconda, the Le Grand Mazarin diamond.

In several decades at the helm of the Kingdom of France, Cardinal Mazarin had accumulated wealth beyond reason. Yet, he is remembered for his diamond collection. Although he liked emeralds, natural diamonds were his true passion. At the court of Louis XIV, even clergymen wore at least as much jewelry as women.

Mazarin’s transactions are difficult to trace. One thing is for sure: He acquired and collected the most exceptional diamond stones ever. He had his own trusted jewelers. He is famous for being the first to have financed the trips of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier to India. Tavernier is rightly considered the pioneer of the diamond trade. The latter contributed to Louis XIV’s reputation of being the inventor of High Jewelry.
Mazarin bequeathed 18 diamond jewels to the crown of France. But he asked that they would never be modified. A smart request indeed: Upcycling a diamond jewel to a more modern jewelry setting is quite usual, but a new cut would result in lesser diamond carats, hence a decrease in value.

Colored diamonds were not in vogue in the 17th century. Thus, the Sun King learned to love pink diamonds thanks to his former tutor, Mazarin, to whom he already owed all his education.

Passionate about Le Grand Mazarin diamond, the Cardinal is said to have planned its future before dying: The Grand Mazarin diamond, he insisted, should forever bear his name. Also, it should be set on every future crown of France.
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The legacy of Le Grand Mazarin is enduring. In 225 years, four kings, four queens, two emperors and two empresses wore it. The beloved Louis XV did, and so did Louis XVI—and even self-crowned Napoleon. Did they have a thought for Mazarin during their coronation? Probably not. But on that solemn moment, the Grand Mazarin diamond was arguably the closest to power than any other thing or being. This is how natural diamonds transcend generations, politics, and times.
The last crowned head to wear Le Grand Mazarin diamond was Empress Eugénie, the elegant and romantic wife of Napoleon III. After the Emperor’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, some of the country’s debts were paid off by the controversial sale of the French Crown Jewels. For Le Grand Mazarin, the buyer was none other than Frederic Boucheron, founder of the eponymous jewelry house. (Read more.)