Cullinan diamond - wikipedia Cullinan diamond `` Star of Africa '' redirects here. For other uses, see Star of Africa ( disambiguation ). Cullinan Diamond The rough diamond Weight 3,106.75 carats ( 621.350 g ) Color Near colourless Cut 105 stones of assorted cuts Country of origin South Africa Mine of origin Premier Mine Cut by Asscher Brothers Original owner Premier Diamond Mining Company Owner Queen Elizabeth II in right of the Crown ( I and II ) and as a private individual ( III -- IX ) The Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem - quality rough diamond ever found, weighing 3,106.75 carats ( 621.35 g ), discovered at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa, on 26 January 1905. It was named after Thomas Cullinan, the mine 's chairman. In April 1905, the diamond was put on sale in London, but despite considerable interest, it was still unsold after two years. In 1907 the Transvaal Colony government bought the Cullinan and presented it to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday. Cullinan produced stones of various cuts and sizes, the largest of which is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, and at 530.4 carats ( 106.08 g ) it is the largest clear cut diamond in the world. Cullinan I is mounted in the head of the Sovereign 's Sceptre with Cross. The second - largest is Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, weighing 317.4 carats ( 63.48 g ), mounted in the Imperial State Crown. Both diamonds are part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Seven other major diamonds, weighing a total of 208.29 carats ( 41.66 g ), are privately owned by Queen Elizabeth II, who inherited them from her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953. The Queen also owns minor brilliants and a set of unpolished fragments. Contents 1 Discovery and early history 1.1 Presentation to Edward VII 1.2 Cutting process 2 Diamonds cut from the Cullinan 2.1 Cullinan I 2.2 Cullinan II 2.3 Cullinan III 2.4 Cullinan IV 2.5 Cullinan V 2.6 Cullinan VI 2.7 Cullinan VII 2.8 Cullinan VIII 2.9 Cullinan IX 3 See also 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External links Discovery and early History Wells and the diamond The Cullinan diamond was found 18 feet ( 5.5 m ) below the surface at Premier Mine in Cullinan, Transvaal Colony, by Frederick Wells, surface manager at the mine, on 26 January 1905. It was approximately 10.1 centimetres ( 4.0 in ) long, 6.35 centimetres ( 2.50 in ) wide, 5.9 centimetres ( 2.3 in ) deep, and weighed 3,106 carats ( 621.2 grams ). Newspapers called it the `` Cullinan Diamond '', a reference to Sir Thomas Cullinan, who opened the mine in 1902. It was three times the size of the Excelsior Diamond, found in 1893 at Jagersfontein Mine, weighing 972 carats ( 194.4 g ). Four of its eight surfaces were smooth, indicating that it once had been part of a much larger stone broken up by natural forces. It had a blue - white hue and contained a small pocket of air, which at certain angles produced a rainbow, or Newton 's rings. Shortly after its discovery, Cullinan went on public display at the Standard Bank in Johannesburg, where it was seen by an estimated 8,000 -- 9,000 visitors. In April 1905, the rough gem was deposited with Premier Mining Co. 's London sales agent, S. Neumann & Co. Due to its immense value, detectives were assigned to a steamboat that was rumoured to be carrying the stone, and a parcel was ceremoniously locked in the captain 's safe and guarded on the entire journey. It was a diversionary tactic -- the stone on that ship was fake, meant to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. Cullinan was sent to the United Kingdom in a plain box via registered post. On arriving in London, it was conveyed to Buckingham Palace for inspection by King Edward VII. It drew considerable interest from potential buyers, but Cullinan went unsold for two years. Presentation to Edward VII Transvaal Prime Minister, Louis Botha, suggested buying the diamond for Edward VII as `` a token of the loyalty and attachment of the people of the Transvaal to His Majesty 's throne and person ''. In August 1907, a vote was held in Parliament on the Cullinan 's fate, and a motion authorising the purchase was carried by 42 votes in favour to 19 against. Initially, Henry Campbell - Bannerman, then British Prime Minister, advised the king to decline the offer, but he later decided to let Edward VII choose whether or not to accept the gift. Eventually, he was persuaded by Winston Churchill, then Colonial Under - Secretary. For his trouble, Churchill was sent a replica of the diamond, which he enjoyed showing off to guests on a silver plate. The Transvaal Colony government bought the diamond on 17 October 1907 for £ 150,000 or about US $750,000 at the time, which adjusted for pound - sterling inflation is equivalent to £ 15 million in 2016. Due to a 60 % tax imposed on mining profits, the Treasury received most of its money back from the Premier Diamond Mining Company. The diamond was presented to the king at Sandringham House on 9 November 1907 -- his sixty - sixth birthday -- in the presence of a large party of guests, including the Queen of Norway, the Queen of Spain, the Duke of Westminster and Lord Revelstoke. The king asked his colonial secretary, Lord Elgin, to announce that he accepted the gift `` for myself and my successors '' and that he would ensure `` this great and unique diamond be kept and preserved among the historic jewels which form the heirlooms of the Crown ''. Cutting process Joseph making the split The king chose Asscher Brothers of Amsterdam to cleave and polish the rough stone into brilliant gems of various cuts and sizes. Abraham Asscher collected it from the Colonial Office in London on 23 January 1908. He returned to the Netherlands by train and ferry with the diamond in his coat pocket. Meanwhile, to much fanfare, a Royal Navy ship carried an empty box across the North Sea, again throwing off potential thieves. Even the captain had no idea that his `` precious '' cargo was a decoy. On 10 February 1908, the rough stone was split in half by Joseph Asscher at his diamond - cutting factory in Amsterdam. At the time, technology had not yet evolved to guarantee the quality of modern standards, and cutting the diamond was difficult and risky. After weeks of planning, an incision 0.5 inches ( 1.3 cm ) deep was made to enable Asscher to cleave the diamond in one blow. Making the incision alone took four days, and a steel knife broke on the first attempt, but a second knife was fitted into the groove and split it clean in two along one of four possible cleavage planes. In all, splitting and cutting the diamond took eight months, with three people working 14 hours per day to complete the task. `` The tale is told of Joseph Asscher, the greatest cleaver of the day, '' wrote Matthew Hart in his book Diamond : A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession ( 2002 ), `` that when he prepared to cleave the largest diamond ever known... he had a doctor and nurse standing by and when he finally struck the diamond... he fainted dead away ''. Lord Ian Balfour, in his book Famous Diamonds ( 2009 ), dispels the fainting story, suggesting it was more likely Joseph would have celebrated, opening a bottle of champagne. When Joseph 's nephew Louis heard the story, he exclaimed `` No Asscher would ever faint over any operation on any diamond ''. Nine largest stones split from the rough Cullinan diamond Diamonds cut from the Cullinan Cullinan produced 9 major stones of 1,055.89 carats ( 211.178 g ) in total, and 96 minor brilliants weighing 7.55 carats ( 1.510 g ) ( on average, 0.079 carats each ) -- a yield from the rough stone of 34.25 per cent. There are also 9.5 carats ( 1.90 g ) of unpolished fragments. All but the two largest stones -- Cullinans I and II -- remained in Amsterdam by arrangement as the fee for Asscher 's services, until the South African government bought them ( except Cullinan VI, which Edward VII had purchased and given to his wife Queen Alexandra in 1907 ), and the High Commissioner for Southern Africa presented them to Queen Mary on 28 June 1910. Mary also inherited Cullinan VI from Alexandra, and she left all of her Cullinan diamonds to her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Cullinans I and II are part of the Crown Jewels, which belong to the Queen in right of the Crown. Asscher sold the minor stones to various buyers, including then prime minister of South Africa, Louis Botha, and the diamond merchants Arthur and Alexander Levy, who supervised the cutting of Cullinan. Some were purchased by Mary and set in a long platinum chain, which Elizabeth has never worn in public, saying that `` it gets in the soup ''. In the 1970s, two minor Cullinan diamonds owned by Louis Botha 's heirs were analysed by De Beers at their laboratory in Johannesburg, and they were found to be completely free of nitrogen or any other impurities. Cullinans I and II have been examined in the 1980s by gemologists at the Tower of London and both graded as colourless type IIa. Cullinan I The nine major stones. Top : Cullinans II, I, and III. Bottom : Cullinans VIII, VI, IV, V, VII and IX. Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa, is a pendeloque - cut brilliant weighing 530.2 carats ( 106.04 g ) and has 74 facets. It is set at the top of the Sovereign 's Sceptre with Cross which had to be redesigned in 1910 to accommodate it. Cullinan I was surpassed as the world 's largest cut diamond of any colour by the 545.67 - carat ( 109.134 g ) Golden Jubilee Diamond in 1992, but is still the largest clear cut diamond in the world. In terms of clarity, it has a few tiny cleavages and a small patch of graining. The 5.89 cm × 4.54 cm × 2.77 cm ( 2.32 in × 1.79 in × 1.09 in ) diamond is fitted with loops and can be taken out of its setting to be worn as a pendant suspended from Cullinan II to make a brooch. Queen Mary, wife of George V, often wore it like this. In 1908, the stone was valued at US $2,500,000 -- two and a half times the rough Cullinan 's estimated value. Cullinan II Cullinan II, or the Second Star of Africa, is a cushion - cut brilliant with 66 facets weighing 317.4 carats ( 63.48 g ) set in the front of the Imperial State Crown, below the Black Prince 's Ruby ( a large spinel ). It measures 4.54 cm × 4.08 cm × 2.42 cm ( 1.79 in × 1.61 in × 0.95 in ). The diamond has a number of tiny flaws, scratches on the table facet, and a small chip at the girdle. Like Cullinan I, it is held in place by a yellow gold enclosure, which is screwed onto the crown. Cullinan III Cullinan III, or the Lesser Star of Africa, is pear - cut and weighs 94.4 carats ( 18.88 g ). In 1911, Queen Mary, wife and queen consort of George V, had it set in the top cross pattée of a crown that she personally bought for her coronation. In 1912, the Delhi Durbar Tiara, worn the previous year by Mary instead of a crown at the Delhi Durbar, where her husand wore the Imperial Crown of India, was also adapted to take Cullians III and IV. In 1914, Cullinan III was permanently replaced on the crown by a crystal model. Today, it is most frequently worn in combination with Cullinan IV by Elizabeth II as a brooch. In total, the brooch is 6.5 cm ( 2.6 in ) long and 2.4 cm ( 0.94 in ) wide. Cullinan III has also been used as a pendant on the Coronation Necklace, where it occasionally replaced the 22.4 - carat ( 4.48 g ) Lahore Diamond. Cullinan IV Queen Mary wearing Cullinans I and II as a brooch on her chest, III as a pendant on the Coronation Necklace, and IV in the base of her crown, below the Koh - i - Noor Cullinan IV, also referred to as a Lesser Star of Africa, is square - cut and weighs 63.6 carats ( 12.72 g ). It was also set in the base of Queen Mary 's Crown ; however, it too was removed in 1914. On 25 March 1958, while she and Prince Philip were on a state visit to the Netherlands, the Queen Elizabeth II revealed that Cullinan III and IV are known in her family as `` Granny 's Chips ''. They visited the Asscher Diamond Company, where Cullinan had been cut 50 years earlier. It was the first time the Queen had worn the brooch publicly. During her visit, she unpinned the brooch and offered it for examination to Louis Asscher, nephew of Joseph Asscher, who split the rough diamond. Aged 84, he was deeply moved by the fact the Queen had brought the diamonds with her, knowing how much it would mean to him seeing them again after so many years. Cullinan V Cullinan V is an 18.8 - carat ( 3.76 g ) heart - shaped diamond set in the centre of a platinum brooch that formed a part of the stomacher made for Queen Mary to wear at the Delhi Durbar in 1911. The brooch was designed to show off Cullinan V and is pavé - set with a border of smaller diamonds. It can be suspended from the VIII brooch and can be used to suspend the VII pendant. It was often worn like this by Mary. Cullinan VI Cullinan VI is marquise - cut and weighs 11.5 carats ( 2.30 g ). It hangs from the brooch containing Cullinan VIII and forming part of the stomacher of the Delhi Durbar parure. Cullinan VI along with VIII can also be fitted together to make yet another brooch, surrounded by some 96 smaller diamonds. The design was created around the same time that the Cullinan V heart - shaped brooch was designed, both having a similar shape. Cullinan VII Cullinan VII is also marquise - cut and weighs 8.8 carats ( 1.76 g ). It was originally given by Edward VII to his wife and consort Queen Alexandra. After his death she gave the jewel to Queen Mary, who had it set as a pendant hanging from the diamond - and - emerald Delhi Durbar necklace, part of the parure. Cullinan VIII Cullinan VIII is an oblong - cut diamond weighing 6.8 carats ( 1.36 g ). It is set in the centre of a brooch forming part of the stomacher of the Delhi Durbar parure. Together with Cullinan VI it forms a brooch. Cullinan IX Cullinan IX is smallest of the principal diamonds to be obtained from the rough Cullinan. It is a pendeloque or stepped pear - cut stone, weighs 4.39 carats ( 0.878 g ), and is set in a platinum ring known as the Cullinan IX Ring. See also South Africa portal List of diamonds List of largest rough diamonds Elizabeth II 's jewels References Jump up ^ Bariand and Duchamp, p. 101. ^ Jump up to : Scarratt and Shor, p. 120. ^ Jump up to : `` Jewellery made from the world 's largest diamond is to go on display '' ( PDF ). Royal Collection Trust. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2017. Jump up ^ Scarratt and Shor, p. 122. Jump up ^ Hatch, pp. 170 -- 172. Jump up ^ Scarratt and Shor, p. 123. Jump up ^ Dickinson, pp. 110 -- 111. Jump up ^ Lee, pp. 489 -- 490. Jump up ^ Helme, p. 86. ^ Jump up to : Field, p. 72. ^ Jump up to : Bariand and Duchamp, p. 97. Jump up ^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth `` consistent series '' supplied in Thomas, Ryland ; Williamson, Samuel H. ( 2018 ). `` What Was the U.K. GDP Then ? ''. MeasuringWorth. Retrieved January 5, 2018. Jump up ^ Cartwright, p. 73. ^ Jump up to : Balfour, p. 71. Jump up ^ Seff and Seff, p. 252. Jump up ^ Helme, p. 88. Jump up ^ Crookes, pp. 77 -- 79. Jump up ^ Hart, p. 204. Jump up ^ Koskoff, p. 174. Jump up ^ Spencer, pp. 318 -- 326. Jump up ^ Scarratt and Shor, p. 124. Jump up ^ Balfour, p. 73. Jump up ^ Dickinson, p. 114. Jump up ^ `` Crown Jewels ''. Parliamentary Debates ( Hansard ). 211. United Kingdom : House of Commons. 16 July 1992. col. 944W. Jump up ^ Scarratt and Shor, p. 125. Jump up ^ `` Life ''. Vol. 10. Time. July 1987. p. 48. Jump up ^ Helme, p. 90. Jump up ^ Scarrat and Shor, pp. 126, 131. ^ Jump up to : Manutchehr - Danai, p. 118. Jump up ^ `` The Largest Cut Diamond in the World ''. Gem & Jewellery News. 2 ( 1 ) : 1. December 1992. ISSN 0964 - 6736. Jump up ^ `` The Sovereign 's Sceptre with Cross ''. Royal Collection Trust. Inventory no. 31712. ^ Jump up to : Scarratt and Shor, p. 128. Jump up ^ Mears, et al., p. 30. Jump up ^ Morgan, p. 262. Jump up ^ `` The Imperial State Crown ''. Royal Collection Trust. Inventory no. 31701. Jump up ^ Keay, p. 175. Jump up ^ `` Delhi Durbar Tiara ''. Royal Collection Trust. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Jump up ^ `` Cullinan III and IV Brooch ''. Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` The diamonds and their history '' ( PDF ). Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 24 January 2016. Jump up ^ `` Jewellery made from the Cullinan Diamond '' ( PDF ). Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2017. Jump up ^ Mears, p. 150. ^ Jump up to : `` Cullinan VI and VIII Brooch ''. Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` Delhi Durbar Necklace and Cullinan VII Pendant ''. Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` Cullinan IX Ring ''. Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2017. Bibliography Balfour, Ian ( 2009 ). Famous Diamonds. Antique Collectors ' Club. ISBN 978 - 1 - 85149 - 479 - 8. Bariand, Pierre ; Duchamp, Michel ( 1992 ). The Larousse Encyclopedia of Precious Gems. Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 978 - 0 - 442 - 30289 - 4. Cartwright, Alan Patrick ( 1977 ). Diamonds and Clay. Purnell. ISBN 978 - 0 - 868 - 43017 - 1. Crookes, William ( 1909 ). Diamonds. Harper & Brothers. ASIN B0114VJCD4. Dickinson, Joan Y. ( 2012 ). The Book of Diamonds. Courier. ISBN 978 - 0 - 486 - 15682 - 8. Field, Leslie ( 1997 ). The Queen 's Jewels. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8109 - 8172 - 0. Hart, Matthew ( 2002 ). Diamond : A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession. Plume Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 452 - 28370 - 1. Hatch, F.H. ( April 1905 ). `` A Description of the Big Diamond Recently Found in the Premier Mine, Transvaal ''. Geological Magazine. Cambridge University Press : 170 -- 172. Helme, Nigel ( 1974 ). Thomas Major Cullinan : A Biography. McGraw - Hill. ISBN 978 - 0 - 07 - 091286 - 1. Keay, Anna ( 2011 ). The Crown Jewels. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978 - 0 - 500 - 51575 - 4. Koskoff, David E. ( 1981 ). The Diamond World. Harper & Row. ISBN 978 - 0 - 06 - 038005 - 2. Lee, Sidney ( 1925 ). King Edward VII : A Biography. 2. Macmillan. ASIN B00ESCVL04. Manutchehr - Danai, Mohsen ( 2013 ). Dictionary of Gems and Gemology. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978 - 3 - 662 - 04288 - 5. Mears, Kenneth J. ( 1988 ). The Tower of London : 900 Years of English History. Phaidon. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7148 - 2527 - 4. Mears, Kenneth J. ; Thurley, Simon ; Murphy, Claire ( 1994 ). The Crown Jewels. Historic Royal Palaces. ASIN B000HHY1ZQ. Morgan, Henry H. ( 17 October 1908 ). `` Polishing the Great Cullinan Diamond ''. Scientific American. 99 ( 16 ) : 262. doi : 10.1038 / scientificamerican10171908 - 262. Scarratt, Kenneth ; Shor, Russell ( 2006 ). `` The Cullinan Diamond Centennial : A History and Gemological Analysis of Cullinans I and II ''. Gems & Gemology. 42 ( 2 ) : 120 -- 132. doi : 10.5741 / gems. 42.2. 120. Seff, Philip ; Seff, Nancy R. ( 1990 ). Our Fascinating Earth. McGraw - Hill. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8092 - 4185 - 9. Spencer, Leonard J. ( 1910 ). `` Notes on the weight of the ' Cullinan ' diamond ''. Mineralogical Magazine. Vol. XV no. 71. pp. 318 -- 326. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cullinan Diamond. The Cullinan Diamond at the Royal Collection Trust ( archived ) Famous Diamonds at Cape Town Diamond Museum Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom Crowns Principal crowns St Edward 's Crown Imperial State Crown Consort crowns The Queen Mother 's Crown Queen Mary 's Crown Queen Alexandra 's Crown Queen Adelaide 's Crown Mary of Modena 's State Crown Coronets Coronet of George, Prince of Wales Coronet of Frederick, Prince of Wales Others Imperial Crown of India Queen Victoria 's Small Diamond Crown Coronation Crown of George IV State Crown of George I Tudor Crown Robes and ornaments Robes Spurs Armills Orbs Rings Sceptres Mirror of Great Britain Precious stones Cullinan I Cullinan II Koh - i - Noor Black Prince 's Ruby St Edward 's Sapphire Stuart Sapphire Anointing objects Ampulla Coronation Spoon Processional objects Swords Curtana St Edward 's Staff Trumpets Maces Plate and fonts Altar plate Banqueting plate Christening fonts Lily Font See also Honours of Scotland Honours of the Principality of Wales Coronet of Charles, Prince of Wales Elizabeth II 's jewels Crown Jeweller Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cullinan_Diamond&oldid=825449718 '' Categories : Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom Diamonds originating in South Africa 1905 in South Africa Transvaal History of Pretoria Hidden categories : Use British English from May 2013 Use dmy dates from May 2013 CS1 : Julian -- Gregorian uncertainty Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca Bikol Central Български Čeština Deutsch Español Esperanto Euskara Français Gaeilge Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული मराठी Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Slovenščina Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 25 more Edit links This page was last edited on 13 February 2018, at 13 : 40. 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Question: who has the largest diamond in the world
Answer: Queen Elizabeth II