So all this talk about Blood Diamonds got me thinking about Elizabeth Taylor's diamonds, and in particular the Krupp Diamond.
"The Krupp diamond gets its name from actress Vera Krupp, the original owner of the diamond, who belonged to the famous Krupp family, owners of Krupp AG, the industrial giant of Germany, that was one of the world's principal steel makers and arms manufacturers until the end of World War II. Established in 1811 by Friedrich Krupp, the company was the first to introduce the Bessemer and the Open-Hearth steel making processes on the European Continent. The company became internationally famous during world war I, by manufacturing guns, such as the 16.5 in (420mm) howitzer called the "Big Bertha" and the long range gun that in the spring of 1918 bombarded Paris from a distance of about 75 miles (120 Km).
During the second world war Adolf Hitler, used the company to produce military hardware needed for his military conquests. The Krupp Combine manufactured submarines, trucks, locomotives, and warships, in addition to artillery and munitions. After world war II, at the Nuremburg trial, Alfred Krupp, the chairman of the company was convicted of war crimes, specifically for the employment of slave labor. The company was re-organized in the 1950s, and eventually became one of the largest companies in West Germany, manufacturing steel, heavy machinery, transportation equipment, automotive parts and assembly and industrial plants. . . .
The next important item of jewelry he {Richard Burton} bought for Taylor was the famous, 33.19-carat, asscher-cut Krupp diamond, set in a platinum ring, which is the subject of this narrative. In her book "Elizabeth Taylor-My Love Affair with Jewelry"{yes, I actually own this book, it was on sale and it's not a bad read}, Taylor says, 'the Krupp diamond was owned by Vera Krupp of the famous German munitions family, which helped knock off millions of Jews. When it came up for auction in the late 1960s, I thought how nice it would be if a nice Jewish girl like me were to own it.' "
From http://www.internetstones.com/krupp-diamond-famous-jewelry.html
