Rival members of Qatar’s royal family are battling for control of the diamond, with one side trying to force a $10m sale.
The Idol's Eye diamond is 70.21 carats and a light blue, VVS1. The diamond's history began at a Christie's sale in London on July 14th, 1865. Later the 34th Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918) owned the Idol's Eye. The Idol's Eye was one of several large diamonds that came up for auction in Paris on June 24th, 1909. Afterwards a Spanish nobleman bought the diamond.
Harry Winston bought it in 1946. The following year the stone was sold to Mrs. May Bonfils Stanton, daughter of Frederick G. Bonfils, the publisher and co-founder of the Denver Post. Chicago jeweler Harry Levinson bought the Idol's Eye for $375,000, after Stanton's death. In 1979 Laurence Graff of London purchased the Idol's Eye. Guernsey-based Elanus Holdings Limited, which is controlled by the heirs of the late Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed al-Thani bought the diamond.
