A lot of unusual, large and expensive diamond minerals have been found in the world. In the old days, unusual diamonds were also found that made it into the top 10 largest diamonds with a long history.
- Dresden green Dresden green diamond
It was found in India in an unknown year, but somewhere in 1700 it ended up in the collection of the Elector of Saxony, Augustus the Strong. The weight of this diamond is 41 carats. It is currently located in Dresden and is kept in the Green Vault treasury.
- Hope
Diamond Hope In 1830, it was discovered on the London market and was bought by the banker G.T. Hope in his honor and named this diamond weighing 44.5 carats. During the great French Revolution, the Hope Diamond was stolen and changed many owners. Most likely, some owner made his own cut of this diamond. In 1958, the diamond was found and since that time has been in the Smithsonian Institution, which is located in Washington.
- Cullinan-1
The largest diamond in the world, the Cullinan, weighing 3,106 carats, was split into 104 small diamonds. One of these diamonds weighing 530.2 carats was given the name Cullinan-1, and is also called the Star of Africa. In 1908, this diamond was cut in Amsterdam by Aster. Currently, this largest cut diamond adorns the scepter of the English King Edward VII, which is kept in the treasury of the Tower of London. - Sancy
In 1570, this diamond appeared in Europe and was immediately bought by Nicolas Harlet de Sancy, who was the French ambassador to Turkey. Currently, this 55-carat diamond is in London with the Astor family, which came to them in 1906. - Tiffany
Diamond Tiffany This diamond was found in 1878 in South Africa at the Kimberley mine. This stone was purchased by the New York jewelry company Tiffany. The weight of this stone was 287.42 carats, and after the Tiffany cut it began to weigh 128.51 carats.
- Rhinestone imitating Kohinoor diamond
This stone was first owned by the Indian sultans, and in 1739 the Shah of Persia acquired it and gave it the name Koh-i-noor, which means mountain of light. Then the stone came to the East India Company, which in 1850 presented it to Queen Victoria of England. At first, the stone was round in shape and weighed 186 carats, and after cutting, the weight of the large diamond was already 108.93 carats, which was inserted into the crown of Queen Mary, who was the wife of George V. Then the stone was inserted into the crown of Queen Elizabeth, which is currently in London treasury of the Tower. - Cullinan-VI
This stone, weighing 63.6 carats, appeared when the Cullinan diamond was split, and a total of 105 faceted stones were made from this stone. This diamond was placed in Queen Mary's crown and is currently kept in the Tower of London Treasury. - Nassac
Almaz Nassak This stone was captured by the British in 1818 during military operations in the Indian temple of the god Shiva, which is located near the city of Nassak. This stone weighed 90 carats, but in 1927 it was processed in New York and it began to weigh 43.38 carats. Currently, this stone is in the USA with a private collector.
- Rhinestone imitating diamond Shah
This stone weighing 88.7 carats was found in India. The imitating rhinestone Shah diamond is limited to cleavage and partially polished surfaces. The names of its three owners, including the Shah of Persia, are engraved on the real stone. Then the Shah of Persia presented this stone to Russian Tsar Nicholas I in 1829. Currently, the stone is kept in the Russian Diamond Fund. - Florentine
Diamond Florentine This stone weighing 137.27 carats appeared in 1657 in Florence to the Medici family. In the 18th century, this stone was placed in the Habsburg crown and then worn as a brooch. After the end of the First World War, the stone was lost and to this day nothing is known about its location.
Also, the most expensive diamonds such as Cullinan II, Victoria I, Southern Star, Regent, De Beers, Orlov, Nizam, Jubilee, Great Mogul, Jonker I can boast of their equally popular fame.
Almaz Orlova The largest gem-quality diamonds found in the world weighed before processing: Cullinan - 3106 carats, Excelsior - 995.2 carats, Star of Sierra Leone - 968.9 carats, Great Mogul diamond - about 800 carats, Woye River - 770 carats, President Vargas - 726.6 ct, Jonker - 726 ct, Jubilee - 650.8 ct, Dutoitspen - 616 ct, Baumgold - 609 ct.
Almaz XXVI Congress of the CPSU During the existence of the Soviet Union, such famous Yakut diamonds as XXVI Congress weighing 332 ct, Star of Yakutia weighing 232 ct, Revolutionary Ivan Babushkin weighing 171 ct, Great Initiative weighing 135 ct, Ursa Major weighing 114.5 ct, Maria weighs 106 ct.
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Due to their extraordinary rarity, amazing beauty and their own history, the world's most famous diamonds attract increased attention. They force people to visit the museums in which they are stored and make them want to own them. Diamonds made from them adorn the crowns and scepters of kings, and beautiful necklaces are displayed by the richest and most famous women in the world.
Gemstones of incredible size
It is unknown when humanity first noticed these majestic stones. In the Middle Ages, Indian Rajas considered it an honor to have gems of extraordinary beauty in their treasuries, and the real decorations of the collections were stones of outstanding size.
For a long time, no one cut the world’s famous diamonds and they were kept in their original form, attracting the attention of their owners with their natural beauty.
Subsequently, the largest diamonds began to be cut, making large diamonds from them, which sharply increased the cost of the stone itself. The most famous diamonds in the world currently exist only in the form of copies, since they were long ago split into dozens of fragments and faceted. And only in some countries, including Russia, are they a national treasure and are kept in special museums among other treasures.
Treasures of the Russian Diamond Fund
IN early XVIII century, by a special decree of Peter the Great, a collection of jewelry began to form in Russia, which could only include famous diamonds and exquisite semiprecious stones. At that time, these were exclusively diamonds that amazed the Russian tsars with their greatness and long history.
The historical stones of the Russian Diamond Fund include:
- the 196.6-carat Orlov diamond, which adorns the scepter of the Russian imperial crown;
- 88-carat “Shah”, presented by the Shah of Persia as compensation for the murder of Alexander Griboyedov;
- a flat diamond weighing 25 carats, covering the portrait of Alexander the Great on a bracelet specially made in France;
- a red spinel weighing 399 carats inserted into the Great Imperial Crown;
- a green emerald weighing 136 carats brought from Colombia;
- the largest and most beautiful sapphire in the world, weighing about 260 carats;
- a giant chrysolite weighing 190 carats, which has no equal in the world.
Origin of the largest diamonds in Russia
The history of the origin of the Orlov diamond is very interesting, which researchers are still arguing about. In the early 70s of the 18th century, this stone was presented to the Russian Empress Catherine II by her favorite Grigory Orlov, who announced the acquisition of the stone in Amsterdam.
What is surprising is that nothing is known about the diamond from which the jewel is made, and it is only said that the stone was stolen from the treasury of an Indian temple.
However, about 20 years earlier, the legendary Great Mogul diamond weighing 279 carats, stolen from its last owner Nadir Shah, disappeared without a trace. By a strange coincidence, “Great Mogul” and “Orlov” have the same color and purity, which leads researchers to think about their relatedness.
No less interesting is the fate of the Shah diamond, which has three engravings on its surface indicating the names of its former owners. This stone, donated to the Russian emperor by the Persian Shah in 1829, made it possible to avoid a major war between the countries and became compensation for the death of Griboyedov.
The majestic "Cullinan" and the mysterious "Great Mogul"
All of the world's most famous diamonds are made from the largest diamonds, each with its own history and name.
The real giant was the Cullinan, found in 1905 in South Africa. Its original weight was 3106.75 carats. As a result of its cutting, it was possible to obtain 105 precious stones of various sizes, and the “Big Star of Africa” (530.2 carats) was for a long time the largest diamond in the world.
The names of diamonds obtained from the Cullinan cut have serial numbers as their weight decreases.
In the Middle Ages, the rulers of all countries of the world dreamed of getting the Great Mogul diamond weighing 747 carats and a large diamond made from it weighing 279 carats. As a result of a series of conspiracies, in 1747 its last owner, Nadir Shah, was killed and the stone disappeared without a trace. Scientists and researchers are still trying to discover his whereabouts, coming up with various legends and versions about his future fate.
Kohinoor and its tragic story
In 1304, the conqueror of India, King Babur, first saw a diamond, which his soldiers took from the eye of one of the statues of a local temple. Due to the extremely bright light emanating from this stone, Babur named it “Kohinoor” or “Mountain of Light”. That is what it is called to this day.
At the dawn of its history, the diamond brought only good luck to its owners, but after it was once stolen from a Hindu temple, it became a symbol of discord and strife.
Ultimately, the gem was presented to the Queen of Great Britain, who demanded that it be recut, which was successfully carried out in 1852.
As a result of recutting, a diamond with a natural weight of 793 carats was left with a fragment of 105 carats, which does not convey the natural brilliance of the jewel.
Currently, the Kohinoor crowns the Great Royal Crown of Great Britain and is kept in the Tower of London.
Extraordinary "Sancy"
The history of the diamond, which has changed dozens of names over the course of its existence, is interesting. According to legend, in 1084, an Indian Rajah paid for this gem, weighing just over 101 carats, two young elephants, twelve unbroken camels and eighty gold coins.
The beautiful teardrop-shaped diamond that resulted from cutting became known as “Sancy”. It weighs 55.23 ct.
The beautiful diamond was owned for many years by the kings of France and Great Britain, as well as by the Russian industrialist Pavel Demidov, whose family sold it in 1865 to the Indian Rajah for a fabulous £100,000 at the time.
Since 1978, the purest stone has been the property of the French Louvre Museum, and everyone has the opportunity to see it with their own eyes.
Blessed by the Pope "Golden Jubilee"
The record holder among precious stones is the “Golden Jubilee” diamond (545.67 carats), presented in 1995 by subjects to the King of Thailand on his 50th anniversary.
The diamond itself, weighing 755.5 carats, turned out to be of excellent quality and had virtually no serious defects. That is why it lost so little (about 30%) of its own weight during processing, and the gem received an unusually beautiful cut.
The largest diamond in the world has a golden brown color and large facets that disperse light evenly. For its beautiful appearance and the presence of pure light, the Golden Jubilee was blessed by Pope John Paul II, the Supreme Imam and the Supreme Buddhist Patriarch of Thailand.
Sapphire blue "Hope"
The Hope Diamond, which has an amazing sapphire-blue glow, has dozens of names given to it by its new owners. It is believed that this stone is the most unlucky in the world and brings only bad luck and death to its owners.
It weighs 45.52 carats and is believed to have been stolen from a statue of the ancient Indian goddess Sita in the Middle Ages.
The stone has been the cause of thefts and murders dozens of times, and many of its owners have died in the most mysterious ways.
The creators of the film “Titanic” decided to play on this story, making “Hope” the prototype of the “Heart of the Ocean” diamond and adding additional tragedy to the fate of this precious stone.
Since 1958, “Hope” has been kept in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution (USA), where it was donated free of charge by its last owner, Harry Winston. Its insured value is $350 million.
"Regent's Diamond" or "Queen of Hearts"
A stone weighing 410 carats, found in 1698 in India at the Golgonda mines, led to the murder of the slave who discovered it, who tried to hide the gem from the overseer.
Just three years later, the cut Regent, weighing 140.64 carats, shocked everyone with its greatness.
The owners of the most transparent diamond in the world were Napoleon, Louis XVIII, Charles X, Napoleon III, as well as the most famous fashionista in Europe, Queen of France Marie Antoinette.
“Regent” is almost completely white, but the notorious blueness, almost invisible to the eye, gave it an aristocracy, which was very highly valued by the rulers of France.
The beautiful jewel was stolen several times, but French police agents managed to return it. And currently, “The Queen of Hearts” is exhibited in the Louvre, where you can get acquainted with her.
Major finds from South Africa's Premier mine
Distinguished by its amazing clarity, the Millennium Star Diamond was discovered in South Africa and weighed 777 carats, symbolizing wealth. After processing, it turned into a beautiful diamond weighing 203 carats, which shines in the sunlight with all the colors of the rainbow.
It became the highlight of the Millennium diamond collection, mined from the South African Premier mine. Today, the owner of the stone is the De Beers company, whose management does not plan to sell such a jewel.
Also, the Premier mine managed to extract another large diamond weighing 241 carats, which after cutting began to weigh 69.42 carats. This is the first diamond in the world to be sold at auction for more than $1 million.
It was purchased for the famous actress Elizabeth Taylor by her husband Richard Burton. After the sale, the stone was named the Taylor-Barton diamond.
After Barton's death, Elizabeth Taylor sold the stone at auction and used the proceeds to build a hospital in Botswana with $5 million.
Record holders among precious stones
IN recent years Many owners of large diamonds prefer not to rush into cutting, leaving the stones in their natural state. This allows you to showcase the natural beauty of the gems.
Currently, the largest naturally occurring clear diamond in the world is the Botswana Stone, weighing 1,111 carats. The stone was found only in 2015. It is the size of a tennis ball and has a preliminary estimate of $100 million.
The absolute record for size and weight belongs to the black diamond “Sergio” (3167 carats), which was found in 1895 in Brazil. The government of this country has called the stone a national treasure and does not allow it to be cut.
According to scientists, “Sergio” is of unearthly origin. It came from space, where it got such an unusual black color.
There are dozens of famous diamonds in the world, many of which have various dramatic stories associated with them. It is worth noting that the stories of the most ancient Indian diamonds have acquired various legends, so they are quite contradictory and change in detail from one source to another. From our article you will learn about the five most famous diamonds in the world.
Cullinan - the largest diamond in the world
This diamond was awarded first place in our review not because of its ancient history, but because of the record value. The largest diamond in the world was found on January 26, 1905 in South Africa at the mine of the Premier Mining Company, part of De Beers. As the shift came to an end, one of the workers noticed a large dull stone in the wall of the face, which he removed from the rock with a knife. He brought the stone to the office, the manager irritably turned it over in his hands and exclaimed, “This cobblestone cannot be a diamond!” threw the find out the window. Of course, later this stone was picked up and truly appreciated. The unique diamond weighed 3106 carats (621.2 grams!) and was the largest diamond found on earth by that time. The diamond was named "Cullinan" in honor of the company's director, Thomas Cullinan.
Diamond Cullinan
By the way, according to another version, no one threw the diamond out the window, and it was not the worker who found it, but Frederick Wells, manager of the Premier diamond mine, who received a bonus of 10 thousand dollars for his unique find. The diamond was purchased for just $800,000 for the 66th birthday of King Edward VII of England. It is worth noting that this transaction took place shortly after the Boer War, which may have significantly affected the value of the unique diamond. The stone was sent to the Asscher Brothers company, whose specialists studied the stone for two years and only after that began processing it. The Cullinan was cut into 9 large and 96 smaller diamonds. The most famous of them are “Cullinan-1” (“Great Star of Africa” diamond) and “Cullinan-2” (“Small Star of Africa”).
The first, after cutting, weighed 530 carats, acquired a pear-shaped shape and became an adornment of the scepter of King Edward VII, kept in the treasury of the Tower of London. "Cullinan-2" weighing 317 carats was inserted into the crown of the Queen of Great Britain. It is worth noting that the second largest diamond in the world, the Excelsior, weighing 993 carats, was also found in South Africa.
“Kohinoor” – mountain of light
Kohinoor is one of the most famous Indian diamonds. An ancient Eastern proverb says: “Whoever owns the Kohinoor owns the whole world.” The diamond was found in the mines of Golconda, the first mention of it dates back to 1304. Originally the diamond had round shape and weighed 186 carats. At first, the owners of the stone were rajas from the Malva clan. Then the stone ended up in the hands of the rulers of the Mughal Empire, who were very sensitive to this relic, considering it a guarantee of the inviolability of their power. At the beginning of the 17th century, during the reign of Shah Jehan, a diamond was inserted into the eye of a peacock that adorned the Peacock Throne in the palace in Delhi.
In 1739, the ruler of Persia, Nadir Shah, invaded India with his army, he captured Delhi and began looking for a magnificent diamond, about which he had heard a lot before. He was informed that Mohammed Shah, the defeated ruler of the Mughal dynasty, had hidden the diamond in his turban. Then Nadir invited Mohammed to a feast, where, as a sign of reconciliation, he offered to exchange turbans. This was an ancient Asian custom, and Mohammed had no choice but to part with his turban.
Kohinoor – Indian Diamond
Nadir quickly left the feast and began feverishly unwinding his turban in his chambers; when the sparkling stone fell to the floor, he exclaimed enthusiastically: “Kohinoor!”, translated this meant “mountain of light.” In addition to the Kohinoor, Nadir Shah had two more valuable diamonds - the Derianur (“sea of light”) weighing 200 carats and the Shah weighing 90 carats. The ruler loved to sort through his treasures and admire the play of light on the faces of diamonds. It was a huge blow for Nadir Shah when Derianur was stolen from him. He was so afraid of losing the Kohinoor that he went crazy and was killed by his own guards in 1747.
Diamond continued his wanderings around the world. There is evidence that before it found a permanent home in Great Britain, the diamond changed 18 owners, who were either killed or died in battle; those who survived died in extreme poverty. In 1850, the Kohinoor was presented to Queen Victoria. Since before this it had brought misfortune to only one man, they thought that the diamond would be safe for a woman. Queen Victoria took the history of this beautiful stone seriously and wrote in her will that if a male monarch inherited the diamond, only the Queen would wear it. The diamond was recut and its weight was reduced to 108.93 carats. Since then, Kohinoor has only adorned the crowns of English queens.
Diamond “Shah”
The Shah Diamond is believed to have been found in 1450 in Central India. This is a very transparent yellow diamond, 3 centimeters long and weighing 90 carats. In 1591, one of its owners, Shah Nizam, ordered the inscription to be carved on one of the faces of the diamond: “Burkhan Nizam Shah the second, year 1000.”
In the same year, as a result of the war, the diamond passed to the Great Mogul Akbar, who calmly reacted to the inscription on the diamond, but his grandson Jehan Shah, when he ascended the throne, decided to immortalize his name on the diamond. So on the other side of the diamond a second inscription appeared: “Son of Dehangir Shah Jehan Shah. 1051."
Almaz Shah
It is worth noting that according to European chronology the year was 1641. For almost another hundred years, the diamond was in the hands of the Great Mughal dynasty, but in 1738, the Persian ruler Nadir Shah captured Delhi, and the Shah diamond also became his prey. In 1824, a third inscription appeared on the stone: “Lord of Qajar Fath Ali Shah Sultan. 1242." When the Russian diplomat and writer A. S. Griboyedov was killed in Tehran, the famous diamond was presented to the Russian emperor as a sign of reconciliation. Now the Shah diamond is kept in the Diamond Fund of Russia.
“Orlov” – a gift to the Empress
“Orlov” is a 200-carat diamond with a greenish-blue tint. It comes from the famous Golconda mines in India, where it was found at the beginning of the 16th century. Initially, it was cut in the form of a “tall rose” weighing 300 carats, but Jehan Shah, already mentioned above, did not like the cut of the stone, and he ordered the stone to be processed again. As a result of the new cut, the diamond lost another 100 carats and gained modern form. When the diamond fell into the hands of Nadir Shah, he named it “Derianur” (“sea of light”).
The beautiful diamond was stolen from the Shah, and ultimately it ended up in Amsterdam, where in 1773 it was offered to be bought by the Russian Count Grigory Orlov. By that time, the count's position at court had wavered significantly, so he decided to buy a diamond and give it to Catherine II, in the hope of regaining her favor. Orlov purchased the diamond for a huge sum of 400 thousand rubles at that time and presented it to the empress.
Diamond Orlov
By order of Catherine II, the diamond was placed in a worthy frame and strengthened in the upper part of the Russian sovereign scepter. This expensive gift did not bring any special “dividends” to Orlov, however, there is information that he did not buy any diamond at all... It was bought by Catherine herself, and in order to deflect accusations of wasting the state treasury on a beautiful “trifle”, she started a rumor about a rich gift . Where is the truth and where is the lie? Try to figure it out... What distinguishes famous diamonds is the abundance of the most contradictory facts in their “biographies”. One undoubted fact is that the diamond is the property of Russia.
Cursed Diamond “Hope”
The famous Hope Diamond is perhaps one of the most beautiful and dangerous diamonds in the world. Although it weighs only 45.5 carats, the diamond is now valued at $200 million due to its rare deep sapphire blue color and remarkable clarity.
According to existing legend, this diamond once adorned a statue of a deity in one of the Indian temples. Although there was a threatening warning on the wall of the temple that the thief himself and all subsequent owners of the jewelry would be severely punished for stealing the stone, the diamond was still stolen. The thief was torn to pieces by a pack of rabid dogs, and the diamond began its bloody journey around the world.
When it was brought to Europe, Louis XIV purchased the diamond and decorated his crown with it. During the revolution of 1792, the diamond disappeared from the treasury of the French kings; for some period nothing was heard about it; only in 1830 did it reappear on the precious stones market. The stone was purchased at auction by the English banker Henry Thomas Hope. Although thanks to this purchase the banker essentially immortalized his name - the diamond began to be called the “Hope Diamond” or simply “Hope” - the fatal jewel did not bring him happiness. The banker's son was poisoned, and his grandson was completely ruined.
Diamond Hope
The diamond goes to our compatriot Prince Katinovsky, who, with truly Russian generosity, gives it to his beloved actress, but after that... kills her. The prince himself does not have long to live - he becomes a victim of the anarchists.
This is how Vladimir Mezentsev described the further adventures of the fatal stone in his book “The Stone Tale”: “Having passed through the hands of resellers, the fatal diamond ended up in Spain. Its new owner, a wealthy Spaniard, decided to travel to India in the fall of 1909. So what? The ship sank off the coast of Singapore. But the stone, as they say, surfaced here too. Pearl seekers examined the sunken ship and found a diamond. It was bought by the American millionaire McLean. The inexorable one did not spare the American either. When he was walking with his son on the street, the boy was hit by a car. The father blamed his wife for the death of his son, who did not care about the child, and divorced her.
The Indian gods punished the next owner, the Frenchman Hauteville, even more cruelly: a few months later his wife was hit by a car on the street, one son was poisoned by mistakenly taking another medicine, and the second suddenly went blind.”
Then the diamond was acquired by the rich eccentric Evelyn Walsh McLean. She did not believe in any curse, but the stone did everything to dissuade her of this. Her little son was run over by a car, her daughter died from an accidental drug overdose, her brother died suddenly very young, and her husband ended up in a psychiatric hospital. They said that she nevertheless took the diamond to the church to remove the curse from it, but this did not help. Still, Evelyn Walsh McLean did not part with the diamond until she was sent to a psychiatric hospital.
In 1947, she bequeathed the Hope Diamond to her six granddaughters. The sinister glory of the stone was already so well known that the granddaughters were not even allowed to touch it. But 25-year-old Miss Evelyn McLean, granddaughter of the deceased, co-owner of the Hope Diamond, seems to have become a victim after all (maybe the curse fell on her because she was named after her eccentric grandmother?): She was found dead, lying fully clothed on his bed without any signs of violence in a house locked from the inside...
The last owner of the diamond, who bought it from the heiresses, eventually transferred it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, where it remains to this day.
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The most beautiful stones, which since ancient times have inspired people to exploits and crimes - these are diamonds. More precisely, their processed versions are diamonds. These jewels are rarely found in nature. Large specimens are so rare that humanity keeps their stories in its memory. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the top 5 most famous gems.
The Cullinan Diamond
This treasure was found on January 25, 1905 in the Transvaal province of South Africa. Its weight was 3106ct or 621.2 g. The crystal was distinguished by the complete absence of defects, cracks and mineral inclusions. The most striking thing is that it was part of another, larger sample, which, unfortunately, could not be found.
The South African miracle received its name in honor of Sir Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine. The cost of the stone was so high that there were no buyers for it for several years. By today's standards, this unprocessed specimen would cost 94 tons of gold!
The first owner of this treasure was the British King Edward VII. However, the capricious monarch did not appreciate the scale of this natural miracle, calling it “a piece of glass.” He ordered the jewelers to make several smaller ones from it. After some time, the Cullinan turned into 2 large, 7 medium and 96 small diamonds of perfect clarity.
The largest of the stones is called the "Star of Africa" or "Cullinan I" and adorns the top of the scepter of British monarchs. It has a pear-shaped cut and a size of 530.2ct, which allows this gift of nature to hold the world championship.
The Koh-i-Noor Diamond
The name of this multifaceted ideal is translated as “Mountain of Light.” In its uncut state it weighed over 800ct. South India is considered its homeland. The owner of this treasure was the founder of the Mughal dynasty himself.
The diamond occupied a central place on the ceremonial Peacock Throne of ruler Shah Jahan. This Indian prince became famous for building the luxurious Taj Mahal mausoleum for his beloved. IN different times The “Mountain of Light” was owned by: the Persian Shah Nadir, the founder of the Afghan royal Durrani dynasty, the Indian Raja Ranjit Singh and his descendants.
The “Mountain of Light” was presented as a gift to Queen Victoria, and after her death it took pride of place in the royal crown. In 1852 they decided to recut it. As a result of this procedure, the crystal lost 40% of its mass (from 191 to 108.9ct). In addition, it has become less interesting historically, having lost its original form.
Star of Yakutia Diamond
This crystal was found in 1973. Its mass is 232ct. Interestingly, in the English De Beers catalog it is listed under the name “50 Years of Aeroflot”. This name was given initially. However, the then chairman of the Council of Ministers, Alexei Kosygin, insisted that he receive a more sonorous name.
Today, the “Star of Yakutia” is kept in the Kremlin’s Diamond Fund. Unlike other famous gems, this one cannot be cut. Therefore, everyone has the opportunity to admire the pristine “star” beauty.
Orlov (The Orlov Diamond)
"Orlov" was the pride of the Romanov dynasty. Its size is 189.62ct. The cut diamond crowns the scepter of the imperial house and has a rather mysterious past.
According to one version, he was kidnapped in 1747 from the throne of the Persian Shah Nadir. Another version claims that the jewel was found in the jungle on the ruins of an ancient Indian temple. This was the third eye of the statue of the god Brahma.
The diamond was brought to Russia by the Armenian merchant Lazarev in 1768. He sold it to Count Grigory Orlov for 400 thousand rubles. The imperial favorite presented the jewel to Catherine II. This is truly a gift worthy of a great woman!
The Pitt or Regent Diamond
It is believed that this crystal was found in 1701 in India, on the banks of the Kistina River. The uncut weight was 410ct. Legend has it that a slave who found the stone hid it in his wound. After this, he secretly made his way onto a ship bound for England and offered the captain half the price from the sale of the diamond. However, the cruel sea wolf decided otherwise: he threw the slave overboard and appropriated the booty for himself. The jewel was purchased by William Pitt, the commandant of Fort St. George in Madras. In honor of him, the stone received its second name. The new owner cut it and sold it to the French monarch. So the diamond passed to the regent of France, Philip II of Orleans. After that, it was owned by all the royals who occupied the throne.
During the French Revolution, all royal treasures were stolen. However, a year later government agents found and returned the jewelry. Napoleon decided to decorate his sword with “Regent” for the imperial coronation. Today this stone is on public display in the Louvre.
We have presented you with just the tip of the iceberg. famous jewelry. All large gemstones could tell exciting stories, filled with admiration and incredible adventures of their owners.
They have been admired and influenced by their mystical beauty for centuries. We offer you an overview of “the most famous diamonds in the world”
1. Diamond "Century"
The Century Diamond is a unique gemstone owned by De Beers. The diamond was presented to the general public in 1988 on the centenary anniversary of the founding of the company. After intensive work by jewelers, the stone was shown in a processed form already in 1991. This unique diamond was found in the diamond fields of South Africa in the Premier kimberlite pipe.
The weight of the Century diamond before processing will be 599 carats, which corresponds to 120 grams. Although the company's management wanted to pretend that the stone was found close to the company's anniversary, in fact it was found long before that day. His location was kept secret.
The stone processing was carried out by a group of cutters led by Gabi Tolkowski. Even before starting the cutting process, this famous specialist took a whole month to study the stone in detail. He cut the stone by hand to avoid damaging the unique diamond. The first stage of cutting, namely the removal of excess pieces, took him 154 days. After this, enough time was allocated to create several plastic models. A model similar to the heart cut was chosen, only without a recess in the middle part of the stone. Further processing of the stone continued for three years.
As a result, the weight of the cut diamond was 273 carats. This unique diamond is graded D color grade as well as FI grade clarity. Experts say that there is no larger diamond with similar characteristics. This is the uniqueness of the “Century” diamond.
If we talk about the dimensions of the processed stone, we can name the following numbers: 39.90mm x 50.50mm x 24.55mm. The diamond has 247 facets. Of these facets, 164 are on the pavilion and crown, and the remaining 83 on the rest of the stone. The Centennial Diamond is valued at approximately $100,000,000. In any case, he was insured for exactly this amount.
For some time, the Centenary Diamond was displayed in the Tower of London. Later, apparently, the unique diamond was sold by De Beers to a wealthy entrepreneur. For this reason, the stone is no longer shown to the public, and its real owner is currently unknown, due to the anonymity policy that De Beers strictly adheres to.
2. Diamond "Cullinan"
The Cullinnan Diamond is also known as the Star of Africa. This is the largest diamond ever found. The weight of the found gemstone was 3106 carats or 621.1 grams. Its dimensions were 100 mm. x 65mm. x 50mm. Interestingly, the shape of the diamond suggests that it is a fragment from a larger formation.
Where did this unique diamond get its name? It was named after Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine where it was found. The diamond was found back in 1905 in South Africa in the famous Premier kimberlite pipe. After the find was discovered, the Transvaal government acquired the Cullinan, which was then presented to the British ruler Edward II in 1907. as a gift. According to some experts, the Cullinan diamond is valued at $7,500,000,000.
Special attention was paid to the cutting of the famous stone. Since he was quite large, the jewelers were afraid to take on such work. The stone had significant cracks in it, which did not give the jewelers the opportunity to make one large diamond. It is for this reason that after several months of detailed study of the diamond, it was decided to split it into several large pieces. Jeweler I.Y. took up the work. Assker. Trying to split the stone, Assker divided the stone into two parts. In the same way, the diamond fragments were split into nine large pieces and 96 small ones. So the Cullinan diamond produced nine large diamonds and 96 small ones. The total weight of the cut stones was 1063.65 carats. As a result, the stone lost about 60% of its weight during cutting. Diamonds made from the Cullinan diamond are clear and bluish-white in color.
Today you can see ten of the largest diamonds in the Tower of London. They became part of famous jewelry that belonged to the English Crown Jewels.
The first and most famous diamond was called the Great Star of Africa. Its cut has the shape of a drop, which is called “pandelok”. This unique diamond weighs 530.2 carats. This diamond was used to decorate the scepter of King Edward VII.
The second largest diamond was named "Little Star of Africa". Its weight was already 317.4 carats. It was used to decorate the crown of the Queen of the British Empire.
The third diamond is pear-shaped and weighs 94.4 carats when cut. And the fourth diamond is square cut and weighs 63.6 carats. A piece of jewelry with these two diamonds is worn as a brooch. Interestingly, Queen Mary wore this unique piece of jewelry during important official events. Another name for these two diamonds is “Small Stars of Africa”
The fifth stone, which weighed 18.8 carats when processed, was cut into a heart shape and became part of a platinum brooch. In addition to the Cullinan V, the brooch is decorated with many more diamonds.
The sixth diamond is marquise cut and weighs 11.5 carats. It is used to decorate a necklace with emeralds, this jewelry is known as the Delhi Durbar emerald necklace. In this case, the diamond pendant is removable.
The seventh of the nine diamonds weighs 8.8 carats and is cut in the same way as the sixth marquise cut. Today it is paired with an eighth diamond weighing 6.8 carats. Together they make up a diamond brooch.
The smallest of the ten major Cullinan fragments weighs 4.39 carats. For its cutting, we chose the “pear” shape. This diamond adorns a ring worn by the queens of Great Britain.
3. Koh-i-nor diamond
The Koh-i-noor diamond is one of the world famous diamonds found in India (presumably Golconda). According to historical evidence, the stone initially weighed 800 carats, but after two cuts its weight was only 108.93 carats. The first mention of the Koh-i-nor diamond dates back to the beginning of the thirteenth century AD. Since the stone was found a long time ago, many legends and myths have been created in connection with its discovery. It is almost impossible to find accurate information about its appearance today.
For a long time, the diamond was the property of Indian rulers. To be precise, the diamond was owned by rajahs from the Malva clan. The next owners of the diamond were the padishahs of the Great Mongols. More than one person was killed in order to take possession of the stone. As a result of such events, the stone eventually came into the possession of the Persian conqueror Nadir. Together with Koh-i-nor, Nadir confiscated from the Great Mongols, among other precious stones, the famous Shah diamond. This happened in 1739.
A little over a hundred years later, the Koh-i-Nor diamond was stolen by the British and presented as a gift to Queen Victoria on the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the East India Company. The diamond was later shown to the Queen's subjects at the Crystal Palace.
Since the diamond was not cut very well the first time, it seemed dull. This fact prompted the Queen to summon a professional diamond cutter from Amsterdam. Voorzanger's cut gave the diamond a dazzling shine and made the stone popular throughout the world. Although this treatment significantly affected the size of the stone. Some 82 carats were lost during the cutting process. History is silent about who first cut the stone and where it was done.
Later, the Koh-i-Noor diamond adorned the small Royal Crown, which belonged to the rulers of Great Britain.
4. Diamond "Regent"
The history of the diamond known as the Regent began in the seventeenth century. Along the banks of the Krishna River, in the famous mines of Golconda, one of the famous stones was found - a diamond, the weight of which was approximately 400 carats. This happened in 1701. After this, the diamond fell into the hands of the businessman Thomas Pitt, and then was sold by him to the regent Philip II. It so happens that the stone today has two names, the most common is the “Regenta” diamond, and the less common is the Pitta diamond.
Even while the stone was in the possession of Thomas Pitt, it was given to the London jeweler Joseph Cope, who worked on cutting the stone for about two years. After processing, the weight of the stone was 140.5 carats. The stone was finished with a cushion cut. The stone fragments that formed during the processing of the Regent were sold. When the Regent diamond was being sold, Pitt ensured that an exact copy of the stone was made in lead and used this copy to show it to potential buyers. Today, a lead copy of the diamond can be seen in the British Museum.
Until 1792, the diamond was considered the main decoration of the collection of precious stones belonging to the Bourbon dynasty. And in 1792, the Tuileries Palace was looted, as a result of which the stone then fell into the hands of Napoleon. This famous ruler ordered that the stone be set into the hilt of his sword. He also used this stone as financial support for his military campaigns. It was thanks to this circumstance that the stone was recognized as the historical heritage of France. Several decades later, the stone traveled to Berlin and Amsterdam to various owners, who displayed it at their receptions. Although the Regent diamond was exported from France, it still returned to the dynasty of Napoleon III. It was this ruler who ordered that the stone serve as the main decoration of the diadem of his wife Eugenia.
There are quite a few legends regarding the history of the stone, so the true story may have been lost among the many stories.
To take a look at the famous diamond, a curious traveler can visit the famous French museum in the Louvre. Today, the Regent's Diamond can be seen in the collection located in the Apollo Gallery of this famous museum. The stone is exhibited next to the crown of the kings of France.
5. Tiffany Diamond
The Tiffany diamond can easily be called one of the most famous diamonds in the world. This diamond is distinguished by its unusual bright yellow color and is quite large sizes. When cut, the stone weighs 128.51 carats. The stone is 27mm wide, 28.25mm long and 22.2mm thick.
Where and when was the Tiffany Diamond found? This happened in South Africa in 1878. The 287.42-carat diamond deposit was located in the famous Kimberley mine, where the world-famous diamond mining and sales company, De Beers, began its work. Where one of the richest kimberlite pipes is located, where diamond mining was carried out for many years from 1866 to 1914. In addition to the Tiffany diamond, famous diamonds were found in the same place: De Beers - 428.5 carats, as well as a bluish-white Porter Rhodes diamond - 150 carats. Today, the bottom of the kimberlite pipe is filled with water, the depth of which is 40 meters. Interestingly, diamond mining was carried out in this place using tools such as picks and shovels.
Where did the stone get its original name? In 1879, the bright yellow diamond was purchased by a jeweler whose name was Charles Tiffany. This man was one of the founders of the jewelry company Tiffani & Co. The stone was later cut into its original cushion cut shape. This form of cut is distinguished primarily by the fact that the stone has a rectangular shape and rounded corners. The crown of the diamond has forty facets, and the pavilion has forty-nine facets. The culet plate is clearly expressed in the cut.
Today the stone is set into a brooch, which is known as the “Bird on the Stone”. It was created by jewelers together with designer Gene Schlumberg back in the sixties of the twentieth century. What other precious metals and gems were used to create the brooch? First of all, these are metals such as gold and platinum. White diamonds and rubies were also used.
Throughout history, the brooch was worn by two women. One of them was society lady Sheldon Whitehouse, and the other was actress Audrey Hepburn.
Today the stone can be seen at various exhibitions, as it often travels from one exhibition to another. So for some time it occupied a place of honor among the exhibitions of the National Museum of Natural History in the USA. It could also be seen with their own eyes by visitors to a jewelry exhibition organized by Tiffani & Co in London.
