Although it is not known exactly when the diamond entered the House of Habsburg, it has been officially recorded as the property of the ArchdukeJoseph August ofAustria, Palatine of Hungary (1872-1962), and was subsequently named after him.
It was named after ArchdukeJoseph August ofAustria, a prince of the Hungarian line of the Habsburgs, who reportedly deposited it in a bank vault in 1933.