What is the Dresden Green Diamond?
By Jared James · Last updated 21 May 2026
Definition
The Dresden Green Diamond is one of the largest and most celebrated natural fancy green diamonds in the world, weighing approximately 41 carats and named after the city of Dresden, Germany, where it has been housed for centuries. Its colour, a vivid apple green, is thought to come from natural radiation exposure deep in the earth over millions of years. Believed to have originated in India, it was acquired by Augustus III of Saxony in 1742 and set into a magnificent hat ornament; it now resides in the New Green Vault museum in Dresden.
Frequently asked questions
- What makes the Dresden Green Diamond so rare?
- Natural fancy green diamonds are among the rarest coloured diamonds, because their colour depends on radiation exposure during formation rather than trace elements, and most only show green on the surface. The Dresden Green is unusually large and its colour penetrates the entire stone.
- Where is the Dresden Green Diamond now?
- It is displayed in the New Green Vault at Dresden Castle in Germany, which is one of Europe's most important treasure collections. Apart from a famous loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, it has stayed in Dresden for nearly three centuries.
- Is the Dresden Green Diamond the largest green diamond?
- It is among the most famous and historically significant natural green diamonds, though a handful of other large green diamonds exist. What sets it apart is the combination of its size, the depth of its colour throughout the stone, and its extraordinary provenance.
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