Carmen “Tita” Cervera once told Spanish network Antena 3 that when the Star of Peace diamond came to her, she was told the stone had sought her out and was hers. The gem, valued at up to ten million euros, has a winding history that predates her marriage to Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza.
After the death of her first husband, actor Lex Barker, Cervera stored her jewelry in the vault of Harry Winston, one of the most reputable jewelers in the United States and a personal friend of Barker. It was there that she first held the Star of Peace.
The baron acquired the diamond in 1976 as an investment and gave it to his then-wife, Denise Shorto. Jeweler Fred Horowitz was responsible for giving the stone its current appearance, setting it in a mount of diamonds and rubies. When the couple divorced, Shorto sought to keep the necklace, but Thyssen reached an agreement to retain it as part of his estate.
Years later, the baron tried to sell the diamond but could not find a buyer. His administrator, who was holding the stone at the time, did not want to keep it in his office. He handed it to Cervera’s mother, who gave it to the couple upon their return from a trip. That is how it entered Carmen Thyssen’s collection.
The Star of Peace weighs 169 carats and is classified as flawless, meaning it has no internal inclusions or visible imperfections. According to experts, only 0.5 percent of diamonds reach that designation, which accounts for the extraordinary prices attached to the stone alone.
Cervera wore the diamond at the 1992 inauguration of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, paired with a design by Jean-Louis Scherrer. Photographer Helmut Newton also captured the couple with the gem at the historic Villa Favorita.
