Cullinan Diamond

Cullinan Diamond is a pear shaped diamond that is acknowledged to be the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever discovered in the world and has a body mass of 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g).

The Cullinan Diamond has an interesting tale regarding its discovery. The stone was excavated in 1905 at the Premier mines in South Africa by Frederick Wells who was a mine superintendent. The man discovered the stone, which looked like a big piece of glass, as being embedded in one side of the mine wall while he was walking through the mine. He was appreciated with $10,000 for his discovery. The name of the diamond was after the mine's owner, Sir Thomas Cullinan.

The Cullinan diamond, after its discovery, underwent several cutting and polishing processes. The stone after its discovery was purchased for $800,000 as a souvenir for King Edward VII for the occasion of his 66th birthday. The stone was handed over to the cutters of Amsterdam named Asscher Brothers for bringing out a proper piece. The first attempt to cut the diamond by Mr. Asscher on February 10, 1908 was unsuccessful as the blade used for the process was broken whilethe diamond remained intact.

The second attempt of cutting the stone fashioned it into three principal parts, which were further reduced to 9 major gems, 96 smaller brilliants, and 9.5 carats of unpolished pieces. The largest gem that was yielded from the rough stone was Cullinan I that appeared as a pear shaped stone of 530.2 carats and is renowned as the world's largest cut diamond.

The Cullinan I is recently placed at the head of the royal club among the British crown jewels and has an estimated value of over £200 million, $400 million.