For centuries, diamonds have captured the imagination of royalty, collectors, and investors, especially when they come in record-breaking sizes. These magnificent stones are valued for their size, rarity, and remarkable stories behind their discovery. From deep within the Earth to the crowns of kings and queens, the world’s largest diamonds have left an unforgettable mark on the pages of gemological history.
The World’s Largest Diamonds:
The Cullinan Diamond
Did you know the largest and arguably the most famous gem-quality diamond ever to be found is the beautiful Cullinan diamond? The rough diamond weighed a staggering 3106 carats when it was found in South Africa by Sir Thomas Cullinan, in 1905. The diamond was then given to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom as a gift and taken to Amsterdam, where it was cut.
Today, the diamond consists of nine large stones and ninety-six smaller stones; two of the largest stones forming part of the Crown Jewels. But, believe it or not, the diamond is only one of the largest diamonds ever to be found in the world. Here’s a list of the eight largest diamonds ever to be found in nature:
The Excelsior Diamond
This fascinating Excelsior famous diamond is known for being the second largest diamond to be found in Africa. The diamond was discovered in 1893 at the Jagersfontein Mine in South Africa close to Kimberley. Today, the blue-white tinted diamond weighs an estimated 995.20 carats and remains to be the third largest rough diamond of gem-quality ever to be found.
The Millennium Star
The Millennium Star diamond is the second largest colorless diamond with the highest colour rating of D in the world. The remarkable diamond was found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1990 and weighs an estimated 777 carats. The diamond is currently owned by the De Beers Group and is valued at an estimated R2 billion.
The Incomparable Diamond
The beautiful Congolese rough diamond was discovered by a young girl in 1989 and weighed an estimated 890 carats when she stumbled upon it; she found the diamond lying on a pile of rubbish and gave it to her uncle who sold it to a diamond dealer.
The diamond was then transported to Belgian, the city of Antwerp, where it took master craftsmen years to cut into a beautiful yellow-brown diamond that ended up weighing 407.48 carats.
The Sergio Diamond
Even though, the Cullinan diamond is known for being one of the largest gemstones ever to be found, the black carbonado diamond named, Sergio is known for outweighing the stone in carat weight. The beautiful rare black diamond was found in Brazil, in 1893 and weighs 3167 carats in total.
The Woyie River Diamond
The gorgeous Woyie River diamond was named after a river near Koidu in Sierra Leone, where it was found in 1945. The rough diamond weighed 770 carats and was dubbed one of the largest alluvial diamonds ever to be found. The Woyie River diamond is also the third largest gemstone to be discovered in Africa after the Cullinan and Excelsior diamond. The diamond ended up being cut and polished into thirty smaller colorless diamonds.
The Star of Sierra Leone
The one of a kind diamond was discovered in 1972, on Valentine’s Day in a river near Koidu, in Sierra Leone. The rough diamond weighed an estimated 968.9 carats and was purchased by Harry Winston for R34 million. The Star of Sierra Leone remains to be the fourth-largest gem-quality diamond and one of the largest alluvial mining diamonds ever to be found.
The Golden Jubilee Diamond
The Golden Jubilee diamond is known as the world’s largest faceted diamond and weighs an estimated 545.67 carats. The beautiful gemstone was discovered in 1985 in South Africa and was given a papal blessing by Pope John Paul II. In 1997, the diamond was presented to the King of Thailand after it took specialists a few years to cut and polish. Today, the largest finished diamond is owned by the Royal Family of Thailand.
The Jonker diamond
The Jonker diamond was named after, Johannes Jacobus Jonker, who found the gemstone at the Elandsfontein mine in South Africa in 1934. The beautiful diamond weighed 726 carats and was cut into 13 smaller pieces; each diamond weighed 142.90 carats and was cut into an emerald shape. On the list of fascinating gemstones the Jonker diamond remains the 16th largest emerald cut, D colour diamond in the world.
Learn More About Diamonds
When it comes to diamonds, there’s no limit to the fascinating gemstones. From the magical Cullinan to the breathtakingly beautiful Jonker, nature keeps surprising us with the best artwork that was created billions of years ago.
For more on these spectacular gemstones and to view the life-size replicas of some of the world’s most famous diamonds, visit the Cape Town Diamond Museum. There’s truly no Cape Town tour like it! Book your tour here.
