Famous Diamonds

Throughout history, there have been many notable diamonds. Here are some of the most famous diamonds:

The Great Star of Africa

The largest stone cut from the Cullinan and now among the British Crown Jewels. It weighs 530.20 carats and has 74 facets and is still the largest cut diamond in the world. The Great Star of Africa was cut from the largest diamond ever found (3106 carats named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, chair of the mining company) together with 104 other stones, by the firm of Asscher in Amsterdam in 1908. The largest cut diamond, it adorns the sceptre of King Edward VII and is kept in the Tower of London.

The Cullian was cut by Joseph Asscher and Company of Amsterdam, who examined the enormous crystal for around six months before determining how to divide it. It eventually yeilded nine major, and 96 smaller brilliant cut stones. When the Cullian was first discovered, certain signs suggested that it may have been part of a much larger crystal. But no discovery of the "missing half" has ever been authenticated.

The Orloff

The Orloff is thought to have weighed about 300 carats when it was found. At one time it was confused with the Great Mogul, and is now held in the Diamond Treasury of the former Soviet Union in Moscow. One tale told is that the Orloff was set as the eye of a god in the temple of Sri Rangen and was stolen by a French soldier disguised as a Hindu.

In 1812 the Russians, fearing that Napoleon with his Grand Army was about to enter Moscow, hid the Orloff in a priest's tomb. Napoleon supposedly discovered the Orloff's location and went to claim it. However, as a solider of the Army was about to touch the Orloff, a priest's ghost appeared and pronounced a terrible curse upon the Army. The Emperor, Napoleon scampered away without the Orloff.

The Centenary Diamond

Discovered at the Premier Mine, in July 1986. The 'Centenary' diamond weighed 599.10 carats in the rough. Together with a small select team, master-cutter Gabi Tolkowsky took almost three years to complete its transformation into the world's largest, most modern-cut, top-colour, flawless diamond.

Possessing 247 facets - 164 on the stone and 83 on its girdle - the aptly-named 'Centenary' diamond weighs 273.85 carats, and is only surpassed in size by the 530.20 carat 'Great Star of Africa' and the 317.40 carat 'Lesser Star of Africa', both of which are set into the British Crown Jewels. The 'Centenary' diamond was unveiled, appropriately at the Tower of London in May,1991.

The Regent

The Regent another of the worlds largest diamonds was discovered in 1701 by an Indian slave near Golconda, it weighed 410 carats in the rough. Once owned by William Pitt, the English Prime Minister, it was cut into a cushion shaped brilliant of 140.50 carats and, until it was sold to the Duke of Orleans, Regent of France when Louis XV was a boy in 1717, was called The Pitt. It was then renamed The Regent and set in the crown Louis XV wore at his coronation. After the French revolution, it was owned by Napoleon Bonaparte who set it in the hilt of his sword. It is now on display in the Louvre as one of the worlds largest diamonds.

Koh-i-Noor (Mountain of Light)

Koh-i-Noor ("Mountain of Light") is one of the worlds largest diamonds, it weighed in at 186 carats when it was first discovered *in 1304*. This oval shaped cut stone is believed to have been set in the famous peacock throne of Shah Jehan. Recut during the reign of Queen Victoria it now weighs 108 carats and forms part of the British Crown Jewels.

The East India Company claimed the diamond as a partial indemnity, and then presented it to Queen Victoria in 1850. It was first worn by the Queen in a brooch. It was later set in the State Crown, worn by Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary, and 1937 was worn for by Queen Elizabeth for her coronation. It is kept in the Tower of London, with the other Crown Jewels.

The Idol's Eye

The Idols Eye is a famous pear shaped diamond, its polished size weighing in at 70.20 carats makes it one of the worlds largest diamonds. The name of the stone comes from the legend claiming that the Sheik of Kahmir stole it from an idols eye to pay the Sultan of Turkey a ransom for Princess Rasheetah.

The Taylor-Burton

The Taylor-Burton diamond was found in the Premier mine in 1966, this pear-shaped 69.42 carat diamond was sold at auction in 1969 with the understanding that it could be named by the buyer. Cartier of New York successfully bid for it and immediately christened it "Cartier." However, the next day Richard Burton bought the stone for Elizabeth Taylor for an undisclosed sum, renaming it the "Taylor-Burton."

It made its debut at a charity ball in Monaco in mid-November where Miss Taylor wore it as a pendant. In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor announced that she was putting it up for sale and planned to use part of the proceeds to build a hospital in Botswana. Just to inspect the diamond, prospective buyers had to pay $2,500 to cover the cost of showing it. In June 1979, it was sold for nearly $3 million and was last reported to be in Saudi Arabia. Some more famous diamonds