New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-11-18
THE SANCY DIAMOND
Legend of Louis de Berquem and
the Celebrated Gem.
A NIGHT LAMP FOR A KING.

| Checkered Career of the Brilliant Stone
! After the Death of Charles the Timid.
1! Some Facts About the Invention OF
| Diamond Cutting.
! Louis de Berquem, says tradition,
! was 4 poor jewelers. workman, but
he fell in love with the daughter of a
! wealthy jeweler. This avaricious IA
i ther would not give his daughter in
/ marriage to any man not possessed OF
( gold. Louis, having neither .'eNpecta-
/ 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 it's native state.
/ Neiher lime, fire nor the mill could af
! feet the diamond.
After many Investigations and deep
j thought Louis bethought himself that
| 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.
\ 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-
quem The fastidious enemy of Louis
HI then possessed q large diamond,
since become celebrated, accounted
among the finest Of precious stones.
But this diamond was i'll shapen, and
the fires which it held burned in vain.
Louis de Berquem cut and polished
this stone. and nothing could equal the
Joy Of Charles the Timid when the
ieweler brought him the great dia-
mond, so glittering with light that it
lit up the darkness, and this to such
an extent that the princes said, ut will
serve me as a night lamp" Berquem
received 5000 ducats for his work.
AS for the diamond, this is the one
which was found in January. 14I7, on
the body Of Charles the Timid after
the battle Of Nancy. A soldier picked
it up, sold it for one gold piece to a
priest. who in turn sold it for three
pieces Of gold to 4 merchant, who took
it to the Duke Of Florence.
From the hands of this prince it
passed into the possession of the king
of Portugal He sold it for 10000
| francs to one Of the companions Of
!; Henri Ill, Nicholas de Harlay. baron
: Of Sancy. Since this time the first
large diamond to be cut is known as
''the Sancy.'
This legend leads to other considera-
! lions Of the cutting Of diamonds as
} cribed to Louis de BerQuem at Brus-
J sells in 1865
: Hardly any one will assert boldly
2 that no diamonds were cut before that
;. date, but it is reasonable to suppose
; that Louis de Berquem regulated cut
ting by arranging the facets.
3 Long before the birth of Louis de
g Berquem cutting was known in India
s Even in Europe we find among the
l treasures of the churches thick dia
l 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 a heart shaped dia
mond. of a diamond with eight sides
Of lozenge shaped diamond, of a dia
mond pointed on four sides and OF {
reliquary in which was set a diamond
t cut in the shape Of a shield.
History informs US that 100 year!
,. before the first work of Louis de Der
y quem there were at Paris, at the cor
" ner of the Corroyerie. several diamond
!, cutters.
i The Duke of Burgundy, after a fas
/ tidious repast given at the Louvre t.
v the king and the French court in 1908
10 offered to his noble guests eleven dia
monds estimated to be worth 49,
i pieces of gold, the money Of the pc
=. riOd.
# 1t is hardly possible to suppose tina
10 these We're uncut diamonds; all o
$ which goes to prove, notWithstandin!
n some opinions, that Louis de Berquen
IT did not invent the process of damon,
le cutting.
ID 1t is no less interesting to follow tn
le fortunes of the Sancy q little further
,e It remained in the Sancy family som
r, time, and Henri III. took it from
le them. It was destined to serve as
pledge for the raising of body o
Swiss soldiers, but the servant intrusi
ed with bringing this diamond to til
re king was attacked, put to death, an
a. the diamond was thought to be los1
r Finally it was discovered that tn
ar servant had been assassinated in tn
le forest of Dole and through the car
1e of the priest had been buried in tn
is village cemetery. Then the Baron d
of Sancy resolved that the dia alOnd mus