The World’s Largest Diamonds

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Here is a brief list of some of the largest cut diamonds in history of jewelry making. We will consider both whole diamonds and those that have already been split into smaller pieces. There is certainly a lot to tell and also plenty to see.

Without a doubt, the most famous and iconic diamond is “Cullinan” or “The Star of Africa”, which was accidentally discovered in South Africa back in 1905. The exact weight of this diamond is 3,106.75 carats, which equals 621.35 grams; its dimensions are 100 x 65 x 50 millimeters. In fact, “Cullinan” is merely a fragment of a much larger crystal that was never found. After processing, “Cullinan” was divided into nine parts; the two largest of these pieces were named “The Great Star of Africa” (530.2 carats) and “The Second Star of Africa” (317.4 carats). The first of these two diamonds adorns the scepter of King George VII, while the second is embedded in the British Imperial Crown, immediately below the ruby. By the way, in the ranking of the largest diamonds in the world, the original piece discovered was listed as the second-largest, while “The Great Star of Africa” was ranked fourth. As you can see, “The Great Star of Africa”, also known as “Cullinan I”, is not actually the largest diamond in the world. That title belongs to a yellow-brown diamond named “The Golden Jubilee”; it weighs 545.67 carats (109.13 grams). Before being cut and polished, this diamond weighed 755.5 carats. Like “Cullinan”, it was discovered in South Africa, but 80 years later, it now belongs to the King of Thailand. The third-largest diamond in this ranking is “Incomparable”. Also originating from Africa, it was accidentally found by a girl near an abandoned mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its original weight was 890 carats (190 grams); after processing, its weight decreased to 407.5 carats (81.5 grams). Before being cut, this diamond was the largest among brown diamonds and the fourth-largest among diamonds of all colors. The fifth-largest diamond in the world and the largest black diamond is “Spirit of de Grisogono”, which was discovered in Central Africa. Its original weight was 587 carats (117 grams); after being crafted by Swiss jewelers from the de Grisogono family, its weight became 312.24 carats (62.45 grams). It is set in a ring made of white gold. According to unverified information, this ring has been sold, and its current owner is unknown. The sixth-largest diamond is “The Centenary”; it weighs 273.85 carats (54.77 grams). Its weight before processing was 599 carats (120 grams). It was discovered in South Africa in the 1980s, and its current owner remains unknown. Before the discovery of “Cullinan”, the largest diamond ever found was “Excelsior”, which was mined in South Africa in 1893. Its original weight was 971 carats (194.2 grams).