JewelStruck Blog

With 530.20 carats size, it is the largest cut diamond in the world. It is pear shaped having 74 facets and it is set in the Royal Scepter.  The Cullian was discovered in Transvaal, South Africa in 1095 on an inspection tour of the Premier Mine. Its a part of 3,106-carat Cullian, the largest diamond crystal ever found.

It is slightly bluish green with 300 carats of size and having Mogul-cut rose. Its origin can be traced back to a Hindu temple in 18th century Tamil Nadu, southern India. Right now this gem this Gem is a part of Diamond Treasury of Russia in Moscow.

The De Beers Centenary Diamond is, at 273.85 carats (54.77 g), the third-largest diamond to have been produced in the Premier Mine. The Centenary Diamond is rated in color as grade D color by the Gemological Institute of America, which is the highest grade of colorless diamond and is internally and externally flawless. It was named the Centenary Diamond as it was presented in the rough for the Centennial Celebration of De Beers Consolidated Mines on May 11, 1988. The Centenary Diamond was unveiled in final form in May 1991.

In 1698, a slave found the 410 carat (82 g) uncut diamond in a Golkonda mine, more specifically Paritala-Kollur Mine in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India and concealed it inside of a large wound in his leg. An English sea captain stole the diamond from the slave after killing him and sold it to an Indian merchant. Thomas Pitt acquired it from a merchant in Madras in 1701.Pitt bought the diamond and had it cut in to a 141 carats (28 g) cushion brilliant. Right now its mounted in a Greek diadem designed for Empress Eugenie, it remains in the French Royal Treasury at the Louvre. It has been on display there since 1887.

Also spelled Kohinoor, Koh-e Noor or Koh-i-Nur, it is a 105 carat (21.6 g) diamond that was once the largest known diamond in the world. The Kohinoor originated at Kollur, Guntur district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It has belonged to various Hindu, Mughal, Persian, Afghan, Sikh and British rulers who fought bitterly over it at various points in history and seized it as a spoil of war time and again. It was finally seized by the East India Company and became part of the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877.

Its a flattened pear shaped stone with size of 70.20 carats. It was once set in the eye of an idol before it was stolen, also it was supposedly given as a ransom for Princess Rasheetah by the Sheik of Kashmir to the Sultan of Turkey, who had abducted her. The diamond went through a succession of owners, until it was sold to a private buyer.

The Hope Diamond is a large, 45.52 carats (9.10 g), deep-blue diamond, housed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. The Hope Diamond is blue to the naked eye because of trace amounts of boron within its crystal structure, but it exhibits red phosphorescence under ultraviolet light. It is classified as a Type IIb diamond, and is famous for supposedly being cursed.

The Sancy, a pale yellow diamond of 55.23 carats (11.05 g), was once reputed to have belonged to the Great Moguls of antiquity, but is more likely of Indian origin owing to its cut which is unusual by Western standards. The Sancy’s known history began circa 1570 in Constantinople when purchased by Nicholas Harlai, Seigneur de Sancy. It now rests in the Apollo Gallery, sharing attention with the likes of the Regent and the Hortensia.

The Taylor-Burton is a diamond made famous when purchased by actor Richard Burton for his wife Elizabeth Taylor in 1969, receiving worldwide publicity for its size and value. The original rough diamond was found in 1966 in the Premier Mine in South Africa, weighing 241 carats (48 g). It was cut by Harry Winston to 69.42 carats (13.88 g) in the shape of a pear.

Peach in color and 20 carats in size it was named after Queen of Hollan. Its formerly a part of the French Crown Jewels and is displayed in the Louvre, Paris.