Meet the largest diamonds found on earth

diamond it causes a lot of admiration and emotions, it seems to be something magical, mystical - and it's just a kind of carbon in a crystalline form. This very valuable stonebecause most often it appears only at a depth of more than one hundred and fifty meters from the surface of the earth. Diamond is formed under the influence of very high temperature and pressure. This the hardest substance in the worldThanks to this, in addition to jewelry, it can be successfully used in industry.

A Brief History of the Diamond

Once polished, a diamond becomes a brilliant, beautifully iridescent, pure and perfect – which is why it is a highly desirable and valuable gemstone in jewelry. For a long time this item was very valuable. It is associated with countries such as India, Egypt, and then Greece, where these stones were brought by Alexander the Great - and of course Africa. Lodewijk van Berken was the first to introduce the diamond polishing method. In the old days, it was believed that the gemstone has great secret power. It was believed to protect against diseases and demons. However, in powdered form, doctors used it to treat various ailments.

The largest diamond in the world - Cullinan

The largest diamond is called the Cullinan. czyli Big Star of Africa. It was discovered by mine guard Frederick Wells. It happened in Pretoria, South Africa. The piece in the first version weighed 3106 carats (621,2 grams!), And its size 10x6x5 cm.

Apparently, at the very beginning it was even larger, it was split off - by whom or what, it is not known. However, in later times, the stone did not remain of this size. The Transvaal government purchased the gem for £150. In 000, it was given to King Edward VII on the occasion of his 1907th birthday. King Edward ordered the Dutch company to divide the stone into 66 pieces - 105 small and 96 large, which were processed. They were donated to the treasury of London, and then, since 6, they were decorated with state insignia in the form of diamonds.

The main mine - the world's largest Cullinan diamond was found here

Cullinan was found at the Premier Mine (since 2003 renamed Cullinan in South Africa), located 25 kilometers east of the South African capital of Pretoria. The diamond was found in 1905, less than 2 years after the start of full operation of the mine, which in its century-long history has the largest number of rough diamonds weighing more than 100 carats (more than 300 stones) and more than 25% of all rough diamonds. over 400 carats ever unearthed.

Legendary diamonds from the Premier mine include:

1) Taylor-Burton (240,80 carats); 2) Premier Rose (353,90 carats); 3) Niarchos (426,50 carats); 4) Centenary (599,10 carats); 5) Golden Jubilee (755,50, 6 carats); 27,64) Heart of Eternity (11 carats), deep blue and XNUMX more blue diamonds that make up the famous De Beers Millennium Collection De Beers.

premier mine for a hundred years it has gone through tumultuous vicissitudes. It was closed for the first time in two years after the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. The mine, known to industry as the "Great Depression" or "Great Hole", was closed again in 1932. She was open. and closed (it also did not work during the Second World War) began to lose its importance until 1977, when it was taken over by De Beers. After the capture, a risky decision was made to break through a 70-meter layer of volcanic rocks, blocking access to kimberlite rocks located at a depth of 550 meters in a kimberlite chimney, the plan also involved the subsequent exploitation of kimberlite rocks, or rather, blue earth - blue earth, which is actually diamond-bearing breccia, if only a diamond deposit was found, the exploitation of which would be economically profitable. The risk paid off and the mine began to pay off. In 2004, the Cullinan mine produced 1,3 million carats of diamonds. Currently, the deposit is being exploited at a depth of 763 m, while geological research and preparatory work is underway to deepen the shaft to a depth of less than 1100 m. This will allow diamonds to be mined at the world's most famous mine will be extended for another 20-25 years.

The history and fate of the largest diamond in the world

On January 26, 1905, the Prime Minister's manager, Captain Frederick Wells, found a giant diamond crystal in a small depression at the edge of the quarry. The news of the discovery immediately hit the press, which estimated the diamond's estimated value at around US$4-100 million, leading to a sudden increase in Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Ltd's stake by 80%. the found Cullinan crystal in honor of Sir Thomas Major Cullinan, director of the company and explorer of the mines.

TM Cullinan appeared in 1887 in Johannesburg (South Africa) as one of the numerous participants in the "gold rush", which brought thousands of gold miners and adventurers to South Africa. The enterprising Cullinan began his career as a businessman by building camps for visitors from all over the world, then villages and entire towns, on which he made a fortune. In the early 90s, he and a group of friends founded the Driekopjes Diamond Meeting Co., which made several discoveries of diamonds, and its activities were interrupted in November 1899 by the outbreak of the war between the Boers (Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch colonists who settled in the 1902th century in South Africa) with the British (the so-called Second Boer War). After the war, Cullinan, while continuing his exploration work, discovered an alluvial diamond deposit near the South African capital of Pretoria in the Transvaal, a province then ruled by the Dutch. Diamond deposits were fed by the waters of numerous streams, the sources of which were located on the Elandsfontein farm, owned by W. Prinsloo. Over the years, Prinsloo has consistently turned down numerous lucrative offers to resell the farm. However, the end of the Second Boer War in May XNUMX and the transfer of Trasvale to British control meant that the farm was ravaged by the victorious English troops, it fell into financial ruin, and shortly thereafter its owner died in poverty.   

Cullinan offered the Prinsloo heirs £150 for perpetual lease rights to the farm (payable in installments) or $000 in cash to resell the farm. Finally, on November 45, 000, Cullinan bought the farm for £7 and renamed his company Driekopjes Diamond Mining Premier (Transvaal) Diamond Mining Co. Among the founders and shareholders of the company was Bernard Oppenheimer, older brother of Ernest Oppenheimer, later director of De Beers Consolidated Mines.

Within two months it was excavated. 187 carats of diamonds which was confirmed by the discovery of a proper kimberlite chimney. In June 1903, the Transvaal administration imposed a 60 percent tax on the profits of the company, which by the end of the year had produced 749 carats of diamonds worth £653.

Cullinan's discovery in 1905 caused a great sensation.which became the basis for numerous and fantastic calculations, assumptions and stories. For example, in an interview, Dr. Molengraaf, chairman of the South African Mining Commission, stated that "Cullinan is only one of four pieces of crystal found, and the remaining 3 pieces of a similar size remained in bedrock." However, this information has not been confirmed.

In April 1905, Cullinan was posted to the London Prime Minister's (Transvaal) Diamond Meeting Co., S. Neuman & Co., where he remained for two years, because that was how long it took the Transwald Legislative Committee to decide to buy diamond. At that time, the Afrikaner leaders, Generals L. Botha and J. Smuts, were negotiating with the British authorities in order to put pressure on the commission and its consent to the sale of the stone. Finally, the personal intervention of the Under-Secretary for the Colonies, who later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Great Britain W. Churchill, as a result of the commission's approval in August 2, to sell the Cullinan for 1907 150. Pounds. The British monarch King Edward II, through Lord Elgin's Secretary of State for the Colonies, expressed a restrained will and willingly offered to accept the diamond as a gift as "proof of the loyalty and attachment of the people of the Transvaal to the throne and the king."

Controversy over the weight of the largest diamond

Although The Cullinan is one of the most famous diamonds in history.Although its properties and origins have been well documented, there has been much debate about its mass. They arose due to the lack of international standards and the standardization of the unit of mass in carats. The "English carat", corresponding to a mass of 0,2053 g, and the "Dutch carat" of 0,2057 g were clearly different from the "metric carat" of 0,2000 g.

Cullinan was weighed as soon as the weight was found in the office of the Prime Minister's comrades 3024,75 English caratsand then weighed in the London office of the company he had a mass of 3025,75 English carats. The difference of one carat in this case arose due to the lack of legislative and mandatory legalization of weights and scales. Cullinan was weighed just prior to splitting at J. Asscher & Co. in Amsterdam in 1908 it weighed 3019,75 Dutch carats or 3013,87 English carats (2930,35 metric carats).

Diamond cutting Cullinan

The discovery of Cullinan in South Africa in 1905 coincided with the efforts of General L. Boti and the South African statesman J. Smuts to create the Union of South Africa. They managed to influence the Transvaal government to give the Cullinan to King Edward VII of England (r. 1901–1910) as a birthday present on 9 November 1907. This gift was then worth $150. The pound sterling hoped that the diamond, in its meaning, would represent a "great Africa" ​​that wanted to become a significant part of the British crown.

J. Asher & Co. On February 6, 1908, she began to examine the diamond, which revealed the presence of two inclusions visible to the naked eye. After four days of research to determine the direction of splitting, the splitting process began. The knife broke on the first try, and the diamond broke in two on the next try. One of them weighed 1977,50 1040,50 and the other 2029,90 1068,89 Dutch carats (14 1908 and 2 1908 metric carats respectively). On February 29, 20, the larger diamond was further divided into two parts. Grinding of the Cullinan I began on March 7, 12, and grinding of the Cullinan II began on May 1908 of the same year. The entire process of diamond processing was controlled by a cutter with 1908 years of work experience H. Koe. Work on the Cullinan I lasted over 14 months and was completed on September XNUMX, XNUMX, while the Cullinan II and the rest of the “big nine” diamonds were polished at the end of October, XNUMX. Three grinders worked for XNUMX hours each, grinding the stones. daily.

The Cullinan I and II were presented to King Edward VII at Windsor Palace on 21 October 1908. The king included diamonds in the crown jewels, and the king named the largest of them the Great Star of Africa. The rest of the stones were gifts from the king to the royal family: Cullinan VI was a gift to his wife, Queen Alexandra, and the remaining diamonds were a gift to Queen Mary's niece on the occasion of her husband George V's coronation as King of England.

Whole raw Cullinan was crushed 9 large stones with a total weight of 1055,89 carats., numbered from I to IX, known as the "big nine", there are 96 small diamonds with a total weight of 7,55 carats and 9,50 carats of uncut pieces. As a reward for polishing J. Asher, he received 96 small diamonds. At current prices for cut diamonds, Usher received a ridiculous sum of several thousand US dollars for his services. He sold all the diamonds to various clients, including South African Prime Minister Louis Botha and Arthur and Alexander Levy, prominent London-based diamond dealers.

Gemological characteristics of Cullian

Since the early 80s, Crown jewelers from Garrard & Co. they always clean and, if necessary, repair the British Crown Jewels that were kept in the Tower of London during February. In 1986-89, in addition to the conservation of precious stones, their research was also carried out under the guidance of A. Jobbins, long-term director of the Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain - GTLGB (now GTLGA - Gem Testing Laboratory of Great Britain). -BUT). The results of the study were published in 1998 in a two-volume edition entitled The Crown Jewels: A History of the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London Jewel House, published in just 650 copies at a cost of £1000.

Cullinan I - characteristics

The diamond is framed by a hag of yellow gold, which is crowned with a royal scepter supporting a crown with a cross. The scepter was made in 1660-61 but has been modernized several times, most notably in 1910 when it was framed by the jewelers of Garrard & Co. Cullinan I.

• weight - 530,20 carats.
• Type and shape of the cut - fancy, brilliant drop-shaped with 75 facets (41 in the crown, 34 in the pavilion), faceted rondist.
• measurements - 58,90 x 45,40 x 27,70 mm.
• color - D (according to the GIA scale), River + (according to the Old Terms scale).
• purity - not clearly defined, but the stone is included in the Air Force class.
• It has the following birthmarks internal and external (Fig. 1):

1) three small traces of a chip: one on the crown near the sulfur and two in the pavilion on the main bevel of the pavilion near the collet; 2) an additional bevel on the Rondist side of the crown; 3) a small area of ​​colorless internal granularity near the rondist.

• A cut diamond, which, however, for many historical and sentimental reasons cannot be made (a unique historical value, a crown jewel, a symbol of the power of the British Empire, etc.), would have had less weight, but would have been counted among the highest purity class FL (Flawless).
• proportions and cut quality - are not clearly defined.
• glow - weak, greenish gray for short-wave ultraviolet radiation.
• phosphorescence - weak, green with a very long duration of about 18 minutes.
• absorption spectrum — typical for type II diamonds, with complete absorption of radiation below 236 nm (Fig. 2).
• infrared spectrum - typical for pure diamonds without any impurities, belonging to type IIa (Fig. 3).
• value — PRICELESS.

Cullinan II - characteristics

The diamond is framed by a hag in yellow gold, which is the centerpiece of the British crown. The crown was made in 1838 and the Cullinan II was framed in it in 1909. The modern appearance of the crown dates from 1937, when for the coronation of George VI it was reconstructed by jewelers from Garrard & Co., and then modified. in 1953 by Queen Elizabeth II (her height was significantly reduced).

• weight - 317,40 carats.
• type and shape of the incision - fancy, old diamond, called "antique" (eng. Cushion) with 66 facets (33 each in the crown and pavilion), faceted rondist.
• measurements - 45,40 x 40,80 x 24,20 mm.
• color - D (according to the GIA scale), River + (according to the Old Terms scale).
• purity - as in the case of Cullinan I, there was no clear definition, but the stone belongs to the Air Force class. It has the following internal and external features (Fig. 4):

1) two small traces of a chip on the front side of the glass; 2) light scratches on the glass; 3) a small additional bevel on the chamfer near the sulfur from the side of the pavilion; 4) two small damages (pits), connected by microscopic traces of a chip along the edge of the front side of the glass and the main crown; 5) a small dent on the rondist side of the crown near the rondist, connected to the natural one.

• A polished diamond such as a Cullinan I would be classified as the highest purity class FL (Flawless).
• proportions and cut quality - are not clearly defined.
• glow - weak, greenish gray for short-wave ultraviolet radiation.
• phosphorescence - weak, greenish; compared to the Cullinan I, it was very short-lived, only a few seconds. Since two diamonds are cut from one crystal, the phenomenon of the glow of one of the stones in the absence of phosphorescence in the other is very interesting and the reasons for it have not yet been clarified.
• absorption spectrum — typical for type II diamonds, characterized by a small absorption band with a maximum at a wavelength of 265 nm and complete absorption of radiation below 236 nm (Fig. 2).
• infrared spectrum — as in the case of Cullinan I, which is typical for pure diamonds without any impurities, classified as type IIa (Fig. 3).
• value — PRICELESS

Rice. 3 Cullinan I and II - infrared absorption spectrum (according to The Cullinan Diamond Centennial K. Scarratt & R. Shor, Gems & Gemmology, 2006)

At 3106 carats, the Cullinan is the largest rough diamond in the world. In 2005, 2008 years have passed since the day of its discovery, and in 530,20 years - from the day it was polished by J. Asher. The 546,67 carat Cullinan I is the second largest cut after the 546,67 carat Golden Jubilee brown diamond found at the Premier Mine, the post-Golden Jubilee 1990 carat brown diamond found at the Premier Mine (Cullinan) (South Africa) and cut in XNUMX, the Cullinan I remains the largest pure colorless diamond. The Cullinan I and II are the most famous gems in the world, attracting millions of tourists to the Tower Museum in London every year. They occupy a prominent and most important place among the Crown Jewels of Great Britain, and thanks to their rich history, they remain a legendary symbol of the British Empire at the height of its power.

The Big Nine of the Greatest Diamonds - The Cullinans

Cullinan I (Great Star of Africa) - a 530,20 carat drop framed in a Sovereign's (Royal) Scepter with Cross, currently in the collection of the Tower of London.Cullinan II (Second Star of Africa) is a 317,40 carat rectangular antique, framed by the Imperial State Crown, currently in the collection of the Tower of London.Cullinan III - a drop weighing 94,40 carats framed by the crown of Queen Mary, wife of King George V; currently in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II.Cullinan IV - a square antique weighing 63,60 carats framed by the crown of Queen Mary, wife of King George V; currently in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II.Cullinan V - a heart weighing 18,80 carats framed by a brooch that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.Cullinan VI - Marquise weighing 11,50 carats, framed by a necklace that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.Cullinan VII - an 8,80 carat awning framed by a Cullinan VIII in a pendant that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.Cullinan VIII - modified antique weighing 6,80 carats framed by Cullinan VII in a pendant that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.Cullinan IX - a tear weighing 4,39 carats framed by the ring of Queen Mary, wife of King George V; currently in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II.

Where are they today and how are Cullinans, the largest diamonds, used?

The history of the Cullinan is inextricably linked to the history of the British Crown Jewels.. For three centuries, two crowns were used for the coronation of English kings and queens, the state crown and the so-called "Edward's crown", the coronation crown of Charles II. This crown was used as a coronation crown until the time of George III (1760-1820). During the coronation of the son of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII (1902), this tradition was wanted to be restored. However, as the king was recovering from a serious illness, the heavy crown, which was only carried during the coronation procession, was abandoned. The tradition was resumed only with the coronation of Edward's son, King George V, who ruled from 1910-1936. During the coronation ceremony, Edward's crown was always exchanged for the state crown. Similarly, King George VI (died 1952) and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, who still reigns today, were crowned. The history of the Imperial State Crown begins with Queen Victoria, who ruled from 1837 to 1901. Since she did not like the existing women's crowns, she requested that a new crown be made for her coronation. So she ordered to remove precious stones from some of the old regalia and decorate them with a new crown - the state crown. During the coronation ceremony, Victoria wore only a new crown made especially for her. This magnificent and sumptuous gemstone was a dazzling and extraordinary symbol of Victorian power. Since the Cullinan was found and polished, the largest Cullinan I now adorns the British scepter, Cullinan II was built into the front of the crown of the British Empire, and Cullinan III and IV are added splendor to the crown of Queen Mary, wife of King George V.

The second largest diamond in the world - Millennium Star

Second Extraordinary Diamond было Millennium Star. He was born from a nugget, the size of which reached 777 carats. It was discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1999. It is still unknown who found this treasure. Attempts were made to hide the fact of finding this treasure, but to no avail. Because of the magic number, it was believed that this stone brings good luck. When this happy place was discovered, thousands of daredevils rushed to look for another diamond - but no one else did.

The famous company De Bers purchased this gem. Then the nugget was subjected to long and painstaking work - diamond cutting and polishing. Consequently, after processing, this wonderful gem was sold. 16 and a half million dollars.

The third largest diamond in the world - Regent

Another amazing diamond is called regent Or millionaire it was greatness 410 carat. In addition to its impressive weight, it was also unique thanks to perfect cut. It was found in 1700. Thanks to the Governor of Madras, it was handed over to Europe. In London, this diamond was cut and then bought by the French regent. This diamond is considered the most perfect in terms of cutting.

During the French Revolution, this diamond was unfortunately stolen. It was not restored until 1793. It has been in the Louvre since the XNUMXth century, along with jewels that belonged to the kings of France.

Other famous diamonds of the world

Are you wondering what other famous and phenomenal diamonds in the world looked like? Here is a complete list of the most important ones:  

The most famous diamonds in the world are shown in the figure:

1. Great Mogul,

2. i 11. regent,

3. and 5. Diament Florensky,

4th and 12th Stars of the South,

6. Sancy,

7. Dresden Green Diamond,

8th and 10th Koh-i-Nur with old and new cut,

9. Hope is a blue diamond

Famous Diamonds - Summary

For centuries, diamonds have been able to turn heads, captivated thoughts and provoked dreams of luxury and wealth. They knew how to charm, confuse and overwhelm a person - and this is so to this day.

Read also articles on the topic "the largest / most famous" jewelry and gems in the world:

The most famous wedding rings in the world

The most famous wedding rings in the world

TOP5 largest gold nuggets in the world

The largest amber in the world - what was it like?