Cullinan I
The Cullinan used to be the world's largest cut diamond. The gemstone weighed 3,106 carats before it was cut. It was discovered at a mine in South Africa in 1905. The diamond was named after Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the mine. The gem was later presented to King Edward VII as a birthday gift. In fact, the Cullinan has an interesting history. The King entrusted Joseph Asscher to cut the gemstone. The cutter spent months studying it before attempting to actually cut. The Cullinan was divided into nine stones. The largest of them is called the Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa. It sits in the British Sovereign’s Royal Sceptre. This remarkable gemstone is on display in the Tower of London with Britain’s other crown jewels.
Lesedi La Rona
The Lesedi La Rona is another largest ever-found diamond. It weighed 1,111 carats before cutting. In 2017, British jeweler Graff acquired the stone for $53 million. This unique diamond was discovered at the Karowe (AK6) mine in Botswana. Initially, it was named after the mine and the pipe where it was found but was later renamed the Lesedi La Rona, which means "Our Light" in the local language. In 2019, the diamond was cut into several gemstones, the largest of which, the Graff Lesedi La Rona, weighs 302.37 carats.
Excelsior
The Excelsior used to be the largest known diamond in the world before the larger Cullinan diamond was found. The fascinating leaf-shaped diamond weighing 971 carats was discovered at the Jagersfontein mine in South Africa. In 1903, it was cut into 11 gemstones. The owners of the Excelsior decided to divide it because of its large size and expensiveness. However, many experts consider the cutting of the stone into many smaller pieces to be a great tragedy in the history of diamonds. Meanwhile, other diamond experts agreed that it required a high-quality cut. In the 1990s, the Excelsior I, weighing 69.68 carats came up for sale. It was purchased for $2,642,000.
Star of Sierra Leone
The Star of Sierra Leone is a diamond with a unique chemical purity. The 968.9-carat stone was discovered at a mine in the Koidu area of Sierra Leone, South Africa. It was acquired by a New York jeweler for $2.5 million. The diamond weighed 143.2 carats after the cutting and was later divided into 17 smaller diamonds, of which 13 were deemed to be flawless.
Koh-i-Noor
The Koh-i-Noor, also known as the Mountain of Light, is a diamond with a fascinating and rich history. It was first mentioned in 1304. The stone was mined at the Kollur Mine, Andhra Pradesh, India. It used to belong to all the rulers of the Mughal Empire (territories of modern India and Pakistan). In 1849, the diamond was transferred to Queen Victoria. Initially, the stone weighed 793 carats. After the cutting, the weight was reduced to 191 carats and then to the current 105.6 carats. The Koh-i-Noor is on display in the Tower of London. For decades, the Koh-i-Noor diamond has been the subject of tensions between India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the United Kingdom. Each of the states claimed to be the rightful owner of the priceless diamond. The exact worth of the Koh-i-Noor remains unknown to this day.
Millennium Star
The 777-carat Millennium Star is yet another large top-color diamond. This unique stone was found in alluvial deposits of the Mbuji-Mayi district of Zaire, which is currently the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Millennium Star is owned by De Beers, the largest diamond company. It bought the stone in the 1990s and displayed it for the first time in 1999 as the centerpiece of its private collection. In 2000, there was an unsuccessful attempt to steal the Millennium Star. In his book called Diamond Geezers, journalist Kris Hollington wrote about the attempted theft.
Golden Jubilee Diamond
The Golden Jubilee Diamond is another gemstone with a rich history. Experts consider it to be the largest cut diamond in the world. It is 15.37 heavier than the Cullinan I. The brown stone weighed 755.5 carats before the cut. Interestingly, both the Golden Jubilee Diamond and the Cullinan I are of the same origin. They were found at the Premier Mine, South Africa. Since being discovered in 1980, it has transferred from owner to owner. In 1995, Henry Ho, the founder of the Jewelry Trade Center, purchased the gem and sent it to the Vatican to receive a papal blessing from Pope John Paul II. It was also blessed by the Buddhist Supreme Patriarch and the Supreme Imam of Thailand. For several years, the jewel has been displayed at various exhibitions around the world. Later, the diamond was presented to the King of Thailand, the world’s richest monarch. The Golden Jubilee Diamond is now located in the Grand Palace of Bangkok.
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