HERITAGE: EIGHT LEGENDARY DIAMONDS
- History
- Eight Legends
- Eight Extra Facets
The Cullinan Diamond – 3,106.75 carats
Cullinan I
530.2 carats
The Cullinan Diamond is the world’s greatest diamond ever found. The first stone ever produced from the Cullinan Diamond Mine, it measured an incredible 3,106.75 carats and remains the largest diamond known to-date. From the main stone, the diamond was cut nine times and produced 96 sparkling smaller stones. The Cullinan I, or The Great Star of Africa, weighs 530.2 carats and is displayed in the head of England’s royal Sceptre. The South African-mined diamond is exhibited at the Tower of London.
The Cullinan Diamond – 3,106.75 carats
Cullinan II
317.4 carats
Better known as the Lesser Star of Africa, the Cullinan II weighs a remarkable 317.4 carats and is considered the second largest top-quality polished stone in the world. The diamond forms part of the British crown jewels’ Imperial State Crown and is on display at the Tower of London.
The Golden Jubilee Diamond
755,5 carats
Discovered in the late eighties, The Golden Jubilee Diamond is the second largest stone produced by the Cullinan Diamond Mine. Named after the 50th anniversary ascent of Thailand’s royal couple, King Bhumibol and Queen Sirakit, the golden yellow gem resides at the Royal Museum at Pimmimak, Bangkok.
The Jonker Diamond
726 carats
Johannes Makani, a working hand for 62-year-old poor diamond digger Johannes Jacobus Jonker changed the family’s fortune in 1934 when he uncovered a 726 carat stone. The blue-white Jonker Diamond was bought a year later by famous New York jeweller, Harry Winston. The designer polished the gem into 13 pieces – the first time a major diamond had been carved in the States. The Jonker I, the biggest of the 13 pieces, is the 16th largest and one of the most perfectly cut diamonds in the world.
The Centenary Diamond
599 carats
The discovery of this diamond in 1986 was kept a secret for nearly two years before being announced at the diamond producer’s 100-year celebratory banquet in 1988. The Centenary Diamond was only revealed in its final, modified, heart-shaped form in 1991. The flawless stone is one of the largest top-colour diamonds ever found, surpassed only by the Cullinan I and the Cullinan II.
The Niarchos Diamond
426,5 carats
Millionaire Stavros Niarchos purchased the Cullinan Diamond Mine’s next discovery in 1954 for his wife at an extravagant $2,000,000. Before the 426,5 carat gem was fashioned into a sizeable pear-shaped stone and two smaller stones by Harry Winston's Chief Cutter, Bernard de Haan, the craftsman nicknamed the larger of the trio the Ice Queen. He claimed that the rough stone would have been hard to spot in a bucket of ice cubes.
The Taylor-Burton Diamond
69,42 carats
In 1966, a sizeable 240,8 carat rock was recovered from the Cullinan Diamond Mine. The rough diamond was sent to New York to be polished by jeweller, Harry Winston, into two pieces. The larger 162 carat pear-shaped diamond, which had been set by Cartier into a neck piece, went up for auction in 1972 where legendary star, Richard Burton successfully bid for it. The diamond necklace was to be a 40th birthday gift for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. The Taylor-Burton is currently owned by Lebanese diamond dealer, Robert Mouawad.
The Premier Rose Diamond
353,9 carats
The 1978 Premier diamond was acquired by Jacob Mouw from the Mouw Diamond Cutting Works and called the Premier Rose after his wife Rose. The diamond was one of the largest colourless stones in the world before it was cut into three spectacular pieces. The larger of the three, at 137,02 carats retained the Premier Rose name, while the 31,48 carat stone was renamed Little Rose and the 2,11 carat gem was renamed Baby Rose – together, the diamonds are known as the Premier Rose Family. Mouw also owns the Taylor-Burton and the Golden Jubilee.
