Before we get to know about the biggest diamond known to mankind, let us learn some interesting facts about diamonds. Diamonds are rare precious stones that are naturally obtained from volcanoes. Essentially, it is merely carbon, and its structure is exactly like coal. When this ordinary coal is put under heavy pressure, it changes its form. From the ordinary coal, it converts into a shiny spectacular stone that we call diamonds. Not only is it transformed visually, but its value gets multiplied as well.
Diamonds are found in all shapes and sizes. From really small to very large, there is a wide variety of them. One of the most common uses of this valuable stone is in jewelry making. From necklaces to engagement rings, like those popular champagne diamond rings for sale, it can be appreciated in all forms. Otherwise, there are multiple uses of diamond in industrial work because of its high strength. Moreover, many people buy them for purposes of investment and savings. Now that we have established some general knowledge regarding diamond stone let’s unfold the history of the largest diamond stone.
On January 25, 1905, one of the company engineers of the Premier Mine in South Africa’s Transvaal province made an almost unbelievable find. During their excavation work, he made a discovery that left everyone astounded. He unearthed a diamond crystal that was by far the largest ever known. In the rough, it almost weighed 3,106 carats. (1 carat = 0.2 gram.) Since it was their discovery, it was named after the founder of the company, Thomas Cullinan. It was truly a matchless find, and the company decided to make a fortune out of it.
The Transvaal government purchased the infamous diamond Cullinan for 150,000 pounds and presented it to King Edward VII of England. It was presented to him on his 66th birthday in 1907. Before handing it over to the king, it was cut by the skilled diamond cutters of Amsterdam into four large stones and 102 lesser brilliants. (A brilliant-cut diamond has 58 facets.)
Even though the uncut version was a major discovery, it still produced a lot of precious jewels. From the great Cullinan, crystal came what is still the largest cut diamond in the world – an egg-shaped colorless brilliant weighing 530.2 carats. The other three large stones from the Cullinan weigh 317.4 carats, 94.45 carats, and 63.65 carats. It may help to give some idea of the Cullinan’s size if we recall that the famous Hope diamond, which is the largest of the colored diamonds and weighs 44.4 carats.
The most important of diamonds cut from Cullinan is now among the British Crown Jewels. Today, it is worth almost a total of 400 million dollars. Indeed, it is one of the most precious gems ever found on the earth. You can witness this beautiful masterpiece in the tower of London in the royal scepter. People from all over the world come to visit this diamond in order to capture its beauty.