The Many Stories of the Spoonmaker’s Diamond
The Spoonmaker’s Diamond, also known as Kasikci, is the most valuable exhibit in the Topkapi Palace Museum. The Topkapi Palace Museum is one of the most famous treasures in the world. Within its walls are ancient maces, daggers, pendants, book covers, chests, rings, and various other ancient artifacts, studded, inlaid, and artistically decorated with beautiful stones. The Spoonmaker’s Diamond continues to be prized among these.
This 86-carat (17 g) non-conflict diamond is pear-cut and surrounded by a cluster of forty-nine smaller brilliant-cut diamonds. It has been compared to the curved ladle of a spoon (which might be the origin of its name) and a full moon, lighting up a bright sky full of stars.
Although there are various legends regarding the origin of the Spoonmaker Diamond, its true origins and how it came to Topkapi Palace are unknown. Sultan Mehmet IV also had a diamond called the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, but it was set in a ring and weighed much less than the similarly named gemstone in Topkapi Palace.
One of the origin myths of the Spoonmaker’s Diamond begins with a poor fisherman, wandering around Istanbul, penniless and empty handed. He finds a glowing stone among the piles of garbage. Not knowing what the stone was, but recognizing it as beautiful, he keeps it in his pocket for a few days before going to a jewelry market; this was before the days of IGI appraisals.
The fisherman shows his rock to the first jeweler he finds. The jeweler recognizes it as an extremely valuable diamond, but feigns disinterest. He gives her a perfunctory look and claims it’s just a piece of glass, but he’s willing to give the fisherman three spoons for his trouble, out of sympathy. The fisherman agrees and walks away from the deal feeling better.
In a slightly different version of the story, an impoverished man named Rashid finds the diamond in 1699 while searching garbage dumps in Istanbul. He haggles with a spoon maker and manages to get three wooden spoons in exchange for the glowing rock. The spoon maker, recognizing the gem as valuable but not realizing it was worth a fortune, sells it to a jeweler for ten silver coins.
The jeweler examines the diamond with a friend and they soon discover its true value, one of the best value diamonds they have ever seen. They argue a bit about what to do, but finally decide to sell it to another jeweler. They each get a bag of gold from the deal. Before the third jeweler can sell the diamond, Grand Vizier Ahmed Pasha learns of his presence and confiscates it. The Spoonmaker’s Diamond soon comes into the possession of Sultan Mehmed IV.
The story elaborated by researchers and historians is very different. A French officer named Pigot purchased the diamond in 1774 from the Maharajah of Madras. He took it to his house in France, but the thieves stole it. The diamond disappeared and did not resurface until Casanova bought it at auction.
The diamond passed hands and ended up at another auction, where Napoleon’s mother bought it. She used it frequently, but when Napoleon went into exile, she put it up for sale to support it. A man who worked for Tepedeleni Ali Pasha bought the diamond from him and gave it to Pasha. Later, during the reign of Mahmud II, Pasha was assassinated on charges of rebellion and treason. His treasure, including the Pigot Diamond, was confiscated by the state.
Treasure records describe the Pigot Diamond as having a mass of 86 carats, the same as the Spoonmaker’s Diamond. It has been concluded that Pigot Diamond is the same as Spoonmaker’s Diamond. It is still unclear whether the Spoonmaker’s Diamond was cast with the forty-nine brilliant-cut diamonds by Mahmud II’s men or Tepedeleni Ali Pasha’s men. However, they add to its dazzling appearance as well as its market value.