The Regent Diamond
Often called the most beautiful diamond of the French Crown — a 140-carat brilliant with a history worthy of a novel.
Discovered in 1698 in the Golconda mines of India, the rough stone was cut in London between 1703 and 1705 into a cushion-shaped brilliant of 140.6 carats, celebrated for its exceptional clarity and faint blue tint. In 1717 it was bought by Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, regent of France for the young Louis XV — hence its name, the Regent.
The diamond adorned the coronation crowns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, was worn by Marie-Antoinette, and was later set into the sword hilt of Napoleon Bonaparte. It passed through the treasuries of successive French rulers across two centuries.
Weighing 140.64 carats, the Regent is often described as the finest diamond in the world for the purity of its cut. It belongs to the French Crown Jewels, kept at the Louvre in the Galerie d'Apollon.
- 💎TypeCushion-cut diamond · 140.64 ct
- ⛏️OriginGolconda, India
- 📅Datecut 1703–1705
- 🏛️RoomGalerie d'Apollon
- 📍LocationMusée du Louvre, 75001 Paris
About the Louvre
The Louvre is the world’s largest and most-visited art museum. Once the fortress and royal palace of the kings of France, it opened as a public museum in 1793 and today holds some 35,000 works spanning antiquity to the mid-19th century — from Egyptian antiquities and Greek marbles to the French Crown Jewels.
Since 1989, visitors enter beneath the glass Pyramid designed by architect I. M. Pei, which opens onto the museum’s three wings — Denon, Sully and Richelieu — arranged around the Cour Napoléon. The Louvre stands in the 1st arrondissement along the Rue de Rivoli, beside the Tuileries Gardens and the Seine.
The museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 9 am to 6 pm (with a late evening on Fridays). Timed tickets are strongly recommended and can be booked on the official site, louvre.fr; under-18s enter free, as do EU residents under 26. Nearest métro: Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7).
Where to see it — the Louvre and around
The Louvre (pulsing marker) at the centre. Toggle the filters to explore the heritage, gardens, restaurants and activities of the 1st arrondissement — and the hotels around it.