Even the smallest of well-cut diamonds glitters and sparkles, but there are some world-famous diamonds of such epic proportions and size that they certainly have extraordinary sparkle and glitter. Historically the ten most well-known and largest diamonds begin at a “lowest” weight of 203 carats! These huge stones are known by formal names and titles and some have equally colorful and mysterious histories surrounding them.
The tenth largest diamond in the world is known as the “Millennium Star” and it is an internally and externally flawless pear shaped diamond. The stone was cut from a whopping 777 carat diamond from Africa and required months of planning before cutting began. It was eventually cut into three pieces and the now famous Millennium Star is the largest of the three. The stone is currently insured at a value of 100 million English pounds, but that is believed to be an extreme underestimation of the diamond’s true value.
The “Red Cross” is the world’s ninth largest diamond at a weight of 205 carats. It originated from a 375 carat canary yellow stone found in South Africa in 1901 and was auctioned on behalf of the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John in 1918. An incredibly unique characteristic of the stone is the appearance of a Maltese Cross in the top facet, which is another reason for the name of the stone.
Ranking eighth on the list of world’s largest diamonds is the “De Beers” diamond weighing 234 carats, cut from an original stone of 428 carats. The diamond was privately purchased in 1928, set in a famous necklace known as the “Patiala Necklace” and its current location is unknown.
The “Jubilee” is the seventh largest diamond at 245 carats, and was found in 1895. Originally the stone was intended to be a gift to Queen Victoria on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of her coronation, but during the cutting process the remarkable purity and value of the stone was realized and the private owners only named the stone in honor of the Queen, but kept it in their own possession.
Cut down from an original 599 carat diamond found in 1989 is the sixth largest known diamond, the “Centenary”. The stone has an amazing 247 facets, the first to be cut to such an extreme and today is valued at well over $100 million.
The world’s largest cut black diamond also holds the fifth position on the list of the world’s overall largest diamonds, the “Spirit of de Grisgono“, is a 312 carat stone cut from an original size of 587 carats. The stone is currently set into a piece of jewelry, and is surrounded by over 700 additional white diamonds.
The Imperial State Crown of Great Britain plays home to the fourth largest diamond in the world, the “Cullinan II”. The diamond was cut from the largest diamond of jewelry quality ever found – an overwhelming 3,106 carat diamond weighing in at over 11/3 pounds. The other portions of the enormous diamond are set in other British Crown Jewels or remain in the property of the British Royal Family, including the largest of the stones cut from this diamond, the “Cullinan I”.
A fancy brown-yellow diamond is third in the list of largest cut diamonds: the “Incomparable” diamond was found in the 1980s and weighed an original 890 carats. The stone was cut, after four years of analysis, into the 407 carat Incomparable.
A pear shaped diamond on display in the Tower of London in England is the second largest cut diamond in the world. The “Cullinan I” or the “Star of Africa” weighs in at 530 carats. Taken from the same 3,106 carat stone as the Cullinan II, the Star of Africa is mounted in the Sovereign’s Royal Sceptre and is part of the British Crown Jewels. Estimates place a value on this stone of over 400 million English Pounds.
The largest faceted diamond in the world is the “Golden Jubilee” presented to the King of Thailand in 1997 on the 50th anniversary of his coronation. The brown diamond measures an enormous 545 carats, cut from the original 755 carat stone, and is currently estimated to be worth $12 million.
Record setting stones are still being found and sold today, in fact in May of 2006 a rare 235 carat diamond was found in South Africa, and in May of 2008 the largest diamond every auctioned in Asia – a 101 carat diamond the size of a ping pong ball – garnered more than $6 million. Also in May of 2008 a 3.7 carat blue, pear shaped diamond set a new price per carat world record when it auctioned for nearly $5 million.
Some historic per carat prices for clear and colored diamonds include the 1990 sale of an orange yellow diamond for $821,803 per carat and the 1999 sale of a vivid green diamond for $736,111 per carat. Headlines reveal record prices and record finds regularly and diamond prices and values are being indicated as reliable and sound investment choices – even the little ones.
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