Mounted at the top of the Russian imperial sceptre is a diamond the size of half an egg, glowing with a faint bluish-green tint. The Orlov weighs roughly 190 carats and keeps the old rose-style "Mughal" cut from its Indian origins. But what makes it unforgettable is the legend attached to it: that it was once the eye of a sacred statue, pried out by a thief in the dead of night.
The temple legend
The most famous story claims the diamond was once one of two eyes set into a statue of a Hindu deity in a temple in southern India. According to the tale, a French soldier who had deserted disguised himself as a worshipper, gained access to the shrine, and pried the gem loose before fleeing. Like many gem legends it’s impossible to fully verify — but it has followed the Orlov for centuries and shaped its mystique.
A gift to win back an empress
The stone eventually surfaced in the European market, where Count Grigory Orlov — a former favorite of Empress Catherine the Great of Russia — purchased it, reportedly in Amsterdam. He presented the magnificent diamond to Catherine, apparently hoping to win back her affection. He didn’t reclaim her heart, but the gem earned his name forever.
Catherine kept the diamond but not the suitor. She had the Orlov mounted in the imperial sceptre, turning a lover’s failed gesture into a symbol of the state.
An old cut, kept on purpose
Unlike many historic diamonds that were recut to modern brilliant shapes, the Orlov retains its original high-domed Mughal cut with rows of small facets — a style from its Indian heritage. That makes it not just a treasure but a rare surviving example of how Indian cutters shaped great diamonds centuries ago.
Where it is today
Set into the gold and diamond-encrusted imperial sceptre, the Orlov is now part of the Diamond Fund housed in the Moscow Kremlin — one of the most important collections of state jewels in the world.
- Weight
- ~189.6 carats
- Cut
- Mughal rose cut, slight bluish-green tint
- Origin
- India (Golconda region)
- Famous owner
- Catherine the Great of Russia
- Home
- Diamond Fund, Moscow Kremlin
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The takeaway
The Orlov blends legend and history like few gems can: a diamond rumored to have been a god’s eye, bought to win back an empress, and ultimately set into the sceptre of an empire. Whatever the truth of its origins, it remains one of the great treasures of Russia — and proof that a diamond’s story can be as valuable as its sparkle.
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