The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-11-07
THE SANCY DIAMOND
Legend Of Louis de Berquem and
the Celebrated Gem.
A NIGHT LAMP FOR A KING.
chsckersd Career Of the Brilliant Stone
After ths Death Of Charles the Timid.
Some Facts About tho Invention Of
Diamond Cutting.

| Louis de Berquem. says tradition,
was a poor jewelers. workman. but
he fell in love with the daughter OF n
wealthy jeweler This avaricious IA
Their would not give his daughter in
marriage to any man not possessed Of
gold Louis. having neither ''eypccta-
tons from relatives nor favor at
court, sought to make his fortune. He
had often heard the father of his be-
loved remark that the man who discov-
cred method OF cutting diamonds
| would become very wealthy. for up to
| that time they knew nothing more
than to scrape off the gravel. and the
diamond. was left in its native state
! Nelher lime. fire nor the mill could at
fec.lfee diamond.
| After mary Investigations and deep
iron Is fashioned with steel. which Is
| only hardened iron. and it occurred to
him that perhaps the diamond would
yield to the diamond. He made an
experiment. which was at once crown
ed with success.
A few days later he presented him
self before the rich jeweler with two
diamonds cut into facets. He obtained
the hand he sought and amassed a
great fortune by his secret, which he
divulged only after he had become
wealthy
King Charles the Timid was the
principal customer Of Louis de Ber-
| QUEEN The fastidious enemy OF Louis
NJ. then possessed large diamond
since become celebrated. accounted
| among the finest of precious stones
But this diamond was III shapen. and
the fires which 1t held burned In vain.
Louis de Berquem cut and polished
| this stone. and nothing could equal the
| Joy Of Charles the Timid when the
! jewelcr brought him the great dia-
| mond. so glittering with light that 1t
? lit up the darkness. and this to such
| an extent that the prince said. 1T will
| serve NE as night lamp" Besauem
| received 1900 ducats for his work
AS for the diamond. this is the one
which was found In January 1477. on
the body of Charles the Timid after
! the battle Of Nancy. A soldier picked
! It up, sold 1t for one gold piece to II
priest, who in turn sold it for three
pieces of gold TO "A merchant, who took
1t to the Duke of Florence.
From the hands Of this prince 1t
! passed into the possession of the king
Of Portugal He sold 1t for. rocco
francs to one OF the companions OF
Henri III. Nicholas de Harlay baron
OF Sancy. Since this time the first
large diamond to be cut is known as
1.-The Sancy.'
This legend leads TO other considera-
, tons Of the cutting of diamonds as
cribed to Louis de Berqucm at Brus-
GELS in 1465,
Hardly any one will assert boldly
that no diamonds were cut before that
date but ii Is reasonable to suppose
that Louis de Rcrouem regulated cut
ting by arranging the facets.
Long before the birth Of Louis de
Berquem cutting was known In India
Even In Europe we find among the
treasures of the churches thick dia.
monds cut into table and culet the
upper sides beaten into sections. In
1860. according to the inventory OF the
Jewels OF Louis, duke Of Anjou, Is
found an entire series Of cut diamonds.
There is mention of fat diamond
with six sides. OF heart shaped dia
mond. of dIamo with eight sides.
OF n lozcngc shaped diamond, OF dia-
mond pointed on four sides and Of a
reliquary in which was set diamond
cut in the shape Of Il shield
History informs us that $50 years
before the first work of Louis de Der
QUEEN there were Mt Paris. ut the cor
ncr cf the Corroyerie. several diamond
cutters.
ihc Duke of burgundy, after a fas
tidiaus repast given at the Louvre to
the king and the French court In ! i0.;.
offered TO his noble guests eleven dia
nlonds estimated to be worth ISa
ueccs of gold. the money OF the pc
Rod s4srgs
II is hardly possible to suppose that
these were uncut diamonds: all Of
which goes TO prove. Notwithstanding
some opinions. that Louis de Berque.n
did not invent the process If diamond
cutting
II - 70 less interesting to follow the
fortunes of Tie Sancy Il little further,
1t remained in the Sancy family some
time. and Henri III. took it from
them. II WAS destined to serve as a
pledge for the raising of a body Of
Swiss soldiers. but the servant intrust
ed with bringing this diamond to the
king was attacked, put to death, and
the diamond was thought to be lost
Finally 1t was discovered that the
servant had been assassinated In the
forest Of Dole and through the care
Of the priest had been buried In the
Village cemetery. Then the Baron de
Sancy resolved that the diamond must
not he lost In fact, they found 1t in
the stomach Of the hapless, faithful
servant, who swallowed 1t at the mo-
ment that be fell. According to the
inventory Of 1871 the Sancy weighed
33s4 carats.
1T disappeared In 1902 to reappear In
Russia Its vnlue II estimated ut y
million francs. Before the revolution
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