Vargas Diamond

The Vargas diamond was found by two diamond diggers, Manoel Miguel Domingues and Joaquim Venancio Tiago. The diamond was found in a province of Minas Gerais, which is popularly known as Coromondel in Brazil. In the gravels of the famous San Antonio river situated in this district is the origin of this great diamond. Discovered in the year 1938, August 13th this precious stone weighed around 726.6 carats.

The rare Vargas diamond was later on being sold to a broker for a price of $56,000. The ownership of the diamond changed frequently. A Dutch Syndicate of the Dutch Union Bank of Amsterdam bought the famous Vargas diamond. At that time the diamond had already been renamed as “President Vargas’. It was done to show respect to the president of Brazil “Getulio Dornelles Vargas”.

Later on, Harry Winston came to know about the rare Vargas diamond and its exceptional quality and visited London for purchasing the unique stone. Vargas was shipped to the city of New York by an ordinary mail. Afterwards the diamond was being cut into two pieces of which one weighed around one hundred and fifty carats and the other five hundred and fifty carats.

From this rare gem a total of twenty-nine stones were designed. Of them nineteen crystals were in proper shape and the other pieces were slightly smaller in size. The popular cuts, which were found in the stones, were emerald, pear, marquise and baguette. The largest piece of this diamond still holds on the name “President Vargas”. In the year 1944, the Vargas diamond was bought by the wife of Robert W. Windfohr belonging to the Texas City. For many years the ownership of this stone retained with this lady.