Black Orlov Diamond

The Black Orlov Diamond is a black diamond, also known as the Eye of Brahma Diamond. It weighs 67.50 carats (13.50 g). The diamond, which was originally 195 carats (39 g), was discovered in the early 19th century in India, where it featured as one of the eyes in a statue of the Hindu god Brahma until it was stolen by a monk.

Origins of the Curse
According to legend, the theft caused the diamond to be cursed. In 1932, diamond dealer J.W. Paris took the diamond to the United States and soon after committed suicide by jumping from a skyscraper in New York City.

Later owners included two Russian princesses called Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky and Nadia Vygin-Orlov (after whom the diamond is named). Both women allegedly jumped to their deaths in the 1940s.

Curse Lifted
The diamond was later bought by Charles F. Winston and cut into three pieces in an attempt to break the curse. The 67.5-carat Black Orlov Diamond was set into a brooch of 108 diamonds, suspended from a necklace of 124 diamonds. The diamond was purchased by diamond dealer Dennis Petimezas in 2004, who was "pretty confident that the curse is broken."

The Black Orlov Diamond has been displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Natural History Museum in London.