Famous Diamonds Throughout the World

     Once upon a time, I was working for a small private jewelry design firm that shall remain nameless. During that time, I was tasked with keeping up with the website and social media accounts for promotional work of the company. Since I left, that company has kept my words on the blog but changed the byline to that of the owner. However, I truly enjoyed writing these posts and decided I would share them here on my newly updated blog to pass the hours off-ship and during a period of seemingly unlimited free-time. Having grown in my writing skills since its original posting, I have made small edits to the original post to correct for bad grammar, spelling errors, and poor choices in vocabulary. More of this is to come, but this one of my favorite entries, and was the last post I made before leaving the company. All research for this post and the other posts like it were done by me, but I am surely not infallible. If you find something that is inaccurate, please let me know and I will look further into it. However, I hope you find these posts entertaining and maybe even educational.

Originally posted Feb 20th 2018

Famous Diamonds Throughout the World

     Today we are taking a brief detour, going through the interesting world of famous diamonds. We will discuss what made them famous, specifics about the diamonds and any lore or records these diamonds may have. Diamonds set records or become famous all the time, so for the sake of this blog post, we are going to limit it to the best of the best.

 

The Golden Jubilee

     Let us start with the record holder for the largest, finished, cut, and faceted diamond in the world. This fancy yellow-brown diamond weighs a whopping 545.67 carats and was discovered in The Premier Mine in 1985. The Premier Mine, sometimes called the Cullinan Mine, is located in the Guateng province of South Africa and is the source of several famous diamonds throughout history, including multiple on our list. Gabriel Tolkowsky was commissioned by De Beers to cut the stone; a process that would take a span of two years, before being given the Papal Blessing by Pope John Paul II as well as a blessing from both The Supreme Imam and The Supreme Buddhist Patriarch in Thailand. The finished diamond was then gifted to King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on his 50th coronation anniversary. It was the king who bestowed the name “The Golden Jubilee” to a diamond that had previously only been known as “The Unnamed Brown.” The Golden Jubilee is now part of the Crown Jewellers of Thailand and does occasionally travel the world in exhibits. 

 

The Hope Diamond

     From the largest cut diamond in the world, to -arguably- the most famous diamond in history: The Hope Diamond. Known throughout the world, the Hope diamond is famous for several reasons: its history, its beautiful and incomparable color, and its “curse”

     The first known owner of the diamond (it is believed the diamond had other owners prior), Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, claimed that the rough diamond was found in the Kollur Mine in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh during the 17th century. The fancy blue 112-115ct triangular-shaped diamond quickly gained fame under the moniker of “The Tavernier Blue”. Around 1669, it was sold to King Louis XIV of France -along with approximately 1000 other diamonds- in exchange for approximately 147 kilograms of pure gold and a nobleman’s title for Tavernier. King Louis commissioned his court jeweler, Sieur Pitau, to recut the diamond; and the resulting 67.125ct diamond that was set in a cravat pin for the king where it became known as “The French Blue.” It was passed down and reset into other jewelry through the royal line until break-ins to the royal storehouse during the French Revolution caused the diamond to go missing.

     The first known resurgence of the diamond was briefly in 1812, although speculation abounds about who the owner was at the time. It wasn’t until 1839 that the diamond found a new purchaser in London banker Thomas Hope from whom the diamond was given its namesake. The Hope Diamond stayed in the Hope family until 1902 during which time it changed hands several times. In 1910 it fell into the hands of Pierre Cartier; who, it is believed, invented the “curse” as a marketing scheme. It was broadcast that tragic death would befall anyone who wore the diamond. The now famous 45.52ct, fancy dark greyish-blue, VS1 diamond was last owned by the late Harry Winston, who donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History, where it can still be seen today.

 

The Pink Star

     The Hope Diamond may have been deemed priceless and will likely never go up for sale in our lifetime, but we will now talk about the stunner that recently set the record for the most expensive diamond ever sold: The Pink Star. The 59.6ct, internally flawless, and intense pink fancy colored diamond is the largest of its kind ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America. The raw diamond was found in South Africa by De Beers in only 1999; and, like The Golden Jubilee, was cut over a period of 2 years. Formerly known as The Steinmetz Pink, The Pink Star went up for auction in April of 2017 and set the record for the most expensive diamond ever sold with a bid of 71,200,00USD. The diamond is now owned by jeweler Chow Tai Fook and has been renamed the “CTF Pink Star.”

 

The Cullinan Diamonds

     The Cullinan Diamonds are a collection of nine stones that were cut from the largest piece of gem-quality rough diamond in history. The 3106.75ct rough diamond was found in the Premier Mine of South Africa (the same mine that produced the Golden Jubilee) in 1905 and was named after the founder of the mine: Sir Thomas Cullinan.

     The rough diamond was purchased by the Transvaal government as a gift to King Edward VII as “a token of the loyalty and attachment of the people of the Transvaal to His Majesty's throne and person.” King Edward VII then tasked the cutting of the diamond to the Asscher Brothers of Amsterdam. Three people worked 14 hours per day, seven days per week for 8 months to complete the 9 primary Cullinan stones, 86 minor brilliants and 9.5ct unpolished fragments. The 9 primary stones formed from the Cullinan are currently part of the Crown Jewels of England and reside in the Tower of London when not being worn.

Cullinan I- Also known as The Great Star of Africa, the Cullinan I is a pendeloque-cut brilliant (pear-shaped modification of the round brilliant cut) 545.67 carat diamond. This diamond was the largest cut diamond in the world until it was usurped by The Golden Jubilee. The diamond currently sits in the Sovereign’s Scepter but can be removed and set in a brooch with the Cullinan II.

Cullinan II- The Cullinan II is known as The Second Star of Africa and takes the shape of a cushion-shaped brilliant at 317.4 carats. The diamond is mounted in the Imperial State Crown but can be removed and worn with the Cullinan I in a brooch. The Cullinan II is still ranked in the top 10 largest diamonds in the world.

Cullinan III- The Lesser Star of Africa, as the Cullinan III is known, is a 94.4 carat pear-shaped diamond. The diamond is most frequently worn in a pendant brooch with the Cullinan IV.

Cullinan IV- Also known as The Lesser Star of Africa, this square-cut diamond weighs 63.6 carats. This diamond is most frequently worn with the Cullinan III in a brooch.

Cullinan V- The Cullinan V is an 18.8 carat heart-shaped stone that currently sits in a brooch that can be fitted onto the necklace that also holds the Cullinan VII.

Cullinan VI- The Cullinan VI is an 11.5 carat marquise-cut stone that sits in a brooch with the Cullinan VIII that can be added to the Delhi Durbar necklace that holds the Cullinan VII.

Cullinan VII- This 8.8 carat marquise-cut diamond sits as a pendant in the Delhi Durbar necklace.

Cullinan VIII- This 6.8 carat oblong-cut diamond sits in a brooch with the Cullinan VI and can be added to the Delhi Durbar necklace.

Cullinan IX- A 4.39 carat pendeloque-cut diamond, this is the smallest of the Cullinan diamonds. This diamond currently sits in a platinum ring known as The Cullinan IX Ring.

 

The Taylor-Burton Diamond

     We will now take a break from diamonds that are famous for the records they set and talk about a diamond that is famous for its significance in popular culture. Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most recognizable names in the world. She was a world-renowned beauty, a generous philanthropist, an award-winning actress, and famously had a jewelry collection that could rival royalty.

     The most famous piece of jewelry in her collection was a necklace featuring a beautiful 69.42 carat pear-shaped diamond. This beautiful diamond, found in the Premier Mine was cut by none other than Harry Winston himself. Eventually finding its way to auction, the diamond set the record for the most expensive diamond sold at auction at the time for $1,050,000. It was bought by the Cartier parents company, and was dubbed “The Cartier Diamond”… for about 24 hours. Richard Burton, Taylor’s husband on two separate occasions, had been a fierce competitor to Cartier at the auction and decided to pay $1,100,000 to buy it from them. While the name of the diamond was officially changed to “The Cartier-Burton Diamond,” it gained popular public recognition as “The Taylor-Burton Diamond” which has since become the common name. The diamond is now owned by Robert Mouawad of the Jewellers Mouawad and has since been recut to its current size of 68 carats.

 

Moussaieff Red

     After many of the diamonds we have discussed above, the triangular-cut Moussaieff Red diamond may not sound very impressive. Actually, at only 5.11 carat, this internally flawless diamond may seem positively minuscule. However, this incredible fancy colored diamond, formerly known as The Red Shield Diamond, is a stone of legend. Graded by the Gemological Institute of America as a fancy red, it currently holds the distinction of being the largest diamond of pure red coloration in existence. Very few fancy red diamonds have surfaced, and very fewer exceed the one carat mark, making the fancy red grade the rarest of all naturally occurring fancy diamond colors. The rough diamond was discovered by a Brazilian farmer in the Abaetezinho River in an area called Alto Paranalba. The diamond was purchased and cut by the William Goldberg Diamond Corporation before being purchased in 2001 or 2002 by Shlomo Moussaieff (an Israeli-born jewelry dealer in London). The diamond is still owned by Moussaieff Jewellers Ltd. but does sometimes travel on display with other famous diamonds.

 

Koh-i-Noor

     Like the Elder Wand from Harry Potter, this diamond’s bloody history is easily traceable throughout the centuries, passing from hand to hand as a result of bloody battles. The original finding of the stone is not well recorded; however, Sanskrit writings can be found as far back as 5,000 years describing the diamond.

     Originally cut down to 186 carats, it derived from the largest rough diamond of the time: approximately 793 carats. The diamond is currently part of the Crown Jewels of England, but this is heavily contested by the nation of India who feel the diamond was stolen from them and represents a great piece of Indian history and culture. The diamond was originally given to the Indian Maharaja in 1830 by the King of Afghanistan in exchange for military assistance in his quest to reclaim the throne. The Koh-i-Noor is believed to have come into the possession of British royalty as a gift from the 13-year-old Maharajah Duleep Singh. However, it is still regularly insisted by the Indian government that the diamond be returned amicably, especially as partial reparations of British colonization of the country.

     One of the most fascinating aspects of the Koh-i-Noor, like The Hope Diamond, is the belief that it is cursed. While there are many that believe that wearing the diamond will give you the power to rule, there are still others that believe wearing this stone will bring you death and misfortune. This wide-spread belief is a result of the history of death and warfare surrounding the stone throughout history. It is said, however, the diamond provides protection for any woman who wears it. Which may be why, after it was commissioned to be cut down to its current size of 105.6 carats by Prince Albert, the colorless diamond found its way into the Royal British Crown worn by his queen.

 

The Centenary Diamond

     The Centernary Diamond was only discovered in 1986 at, you guessed it, The Premier Mine! The rough was found using cutting-edge x-ray technology and was unveiled at the centennial celebration for De Beers, which is what gave the diamond its name. The task of cutting down the 599 carat rough diamond fell to Gabi Tolkowsky; and when the diamond was finally completed, it set the record for the biggest colorless and flawless finished diamond currently in existence.

     The Centenary Diamond’s most recent claim to fame is that is no one knows where it is. The last time the diamond was on display was in the Tower of London for several years. However, it has not been seen publicly since. It is believed that it may have been purchased from De Beers; however, due to their strict policy of anonymity, it is impossible to confirm this rumor. To this day, no one knows who, if anyone, owns the Centenary Diamond.