The Conde
The Grand Conde is one of the most unusual of the world's
notable diamonds: a light pink pear-shaped stone of 9.01 carats. Agents of Louis
XIII are said to have bought the stone in 1643 after which the King presented it
to Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Conde, who had distinguished himself as Commander
of the French Army in the Thirty Years' War and who became known as the Grand
Conde. Until his death in 1686, the Prince was known as an enthusiastic patron
of the arts and an ardent admirer of various charming women, one of whom
described him as a much more effective and able general than paramour!
The diamond remained in the Conde family until the Duc
d'Aumale bequeathed it to the French Government in 1892. Today, it is on display
in the Musee de Conde in Chantilly, France, where according to the terms of the
Duc's will, it must always remain. On October 11th, 1926, the diamond was stolen
from the museum but later found and returned. It is also known variously as the
Conde Pink, the Conde Diamond, or Le Grand Conde. 
A glass replica of the Conde.
Many sources have quoted this gem as weighing around 50
carats, which is false. The gem's actual weight is 9.01 carats, and however the
50-carat statement got started is still unknown, but I'd imagine its something
like a gemologist probably wrote a book a hundred years ago and mistook the
stone for a different one. When following authors/gemologists went to research
the stone, they came across the 50-carat figure and repeated it, thus starting a
cycle. Special thanks to Greg Thompson of the Texas Faceters Guild for
varifying the stone's actual weight! I had already seen both figures being
quoted as its weight and was baffled at the figures being so drastically
different!