The Spoonmaker’s Diamond: Its Story, Carat and Cut

Short answer: The Spoonmaker’s Diamond (Kaşıkçı Elması) is a pear-shaped (teardrop) diamond of about 86 carats, displayed in the Treasury of the Topkapı Palace Museum in Istanbul. It is surrounded by 49 diamonds set in two rows. Its name is said to come from a legend in which the diamond was given to a spoonmaker in exchange for a few spoons; its exact origin is not known from records.

What is known about the Spoonmaker’s Diamond

86 carats is dozens of times the size of a typical solitaire used in a ring today. For comparison, a well-cut 1-carat round diamond is about 6.5 mm across. What is a carat?

The story of its name: the spoonmaker legend

According to the best-known legend, a poor man in Istanbul found a shiny stone on a rubbish heap and took it to a spoonmaker. The spoonmaker gave the man three spoons for the stone. The stone changed hands, its value was eventually recognised and it reached the palace; and its name stayed from this story. There are other legends about how the diamond came to the palace, and none of them is confirmed by firm records. What is certain is that the Spoonmaker’s Diamond has been one of the most admired pieces of the Ottoman treasury for centuries, and of the Topkapı Palace today.

The magic of the pear cut

One of the things that makes the Spoonmaker’s Diamond so striking is its shape. The pear (teardrop) shape is like a cross between a round and a marquise: one end is rounded and the other pointed. It reflects light brilliantly and looks large. The double row of diamonds around it is a very old and very grand example of what we call a “halo” today: it surrounds the centre stone and makes it look even bigger and brighter. What is a halo?

From the Spoonmaker’s Diamond to today’s rings

The pear cut is a much-loved shape today in solitaire rings, necklaces and earrings. The arrangement of the Spoonmaker’s Diamond lives on, on a small scale, in today’s jewellery:

• Pear solitaire: A single teardrop diamond that makes the finger look slim and long. Pear solitaire design.
• Pear halo: A ring of small diamonds around the teardrop stone; a simple take on the Spoonmaker’s Diamond.
• Pear necklace: A teardrop diamond on a fine chain. Pear necklace design.

We explain what to look for when choosing a pear-cut diamond in our pear cut guide.

The pear cut with lab-grown diamonds

If you want a large, eye-catching teardrop diamond, a lab-grown diamond lets you reach a bigger stone for the same budget. The stone is a real diamond with the same crystal structure and light as a natural diamond. You can see a pear-cut stone on a hand at true scale in our ring designer.

Frequently asked questions