Orlov (diamond)
(重定向自Orlov Diamond)


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The Orlov (sometimes spelled Orloff) is a large diamond that is part of the collection of the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin. It is described as having the shape and proportions of half a chicken's egg. Mined in south India, probably at the Kollur Mine, it appears in history as far back as the 2nd century CE, when it was mounted on the idol of Sri Ranganathaswamy in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. It was stolen in 1747 by a French soldier who had frequented the temple for many years prior to the theft, and who had been (or pretended to be) a devotee of the Lord.