Since the heyday of civilization, mankind has shown a special interest in jewelry and gold for many centuries. This applies not only to the beautiful half of humanity - our dear women, but also to men. How many crimes were committed, how many sacrifices were made for the sake of gold and diamonds. Now we live in a modern world where the purchase of diamonds is done in a civilized way, but not everyone can afford this luxury.
Today we have to get acquainted with the 10 largest diamonds that have ever been mined.
The world's largest diamonds
There are hundreds of small and large diamonds in the world, for which people are willing to pay thousands and even millions of dollars. Among them, there are ordinary gems without a name, and there are famous ones that have received a name and become known to all jewelry lovers. We provide a list of the largest diamonds, which we have put in a table for convenience.
| occupied space | diamond name | weight (grams) |
| 1 | "Golden Anniversary" | 109 |
| 2 | "Big Star of Africa" | 106 |
| 3 | "Incomparable" | 81 |
| 4 | "Minor Star of Africa" | 64 |
| 5 | "The Spirit of de Grisogono" | 61 |
| 6 | "Centenary" | 55 |
| 7 | "Anniversary" | 49 |
| 8 | De Beers | 47 |
| 9 | "Red Cross" | 41 |
| 10 | "Star of the Millennium" | 40 |
Each of these unique stones has its own amazing story and its own wonderful features. Let's talk about these wonderful diamonds in more detail and start with the 10th place pebble in the world ranking.
Star of the Millennium
This diamond was found in 1990 in Central Africa, in the Republic of the Congo. Its weight before being cut into a large diamond was 777 carats. Due to the fact that it took several years of effort, and more than one cutter, this gem was called the "Star of the Millennium". First, it was split in Belgium, polished in South Africa, and the final processing was carried out in the USA (New York City). The weight of a transparent diamond then was already 203 carats.
And only 9 years after the "star" discovery, it was possible to present it to the public. A year later, one ofLondon exhibitions, he was kidnapped by attackers. Fortunately, they were quickly identified and caught. The real value of this stone is unknown, but according to some reports, the insurance amount of the African diamond is over one hundred million British pounds.
Red Cross
This stone is only 1 gram heavier than its predecessor, which allowed it to move up one notch in the rankings. Back in 1901, a large diamond weighing 375 carats was discovered in an African mine. It had an unusual color: canary yellow. After its cutting, the weight was 205 carats, and on one of the faces, an eight-pointed M altese cross was clearly visible. After that, this large diamond acquired its current name. An interesting feature of this gem is that it is able to accumulate light energy in itself, after which it glows in the dark.
In 1918 this diamond was presented as a present to the Red Cross. Employees of the charitable foundation put it up for auction and after the sale received cash in the amount of ten thousand British pounds. With the proceeds, medicines were bought and hospitals were improved. According to some reports, its current price is more than two million euros.
De Beers
In the late 80s of the 19th century, a 428-carat precious stone was found in the private diamond mining company De Beers. After its jewelry processing, the weight of a large diamond was 234carat. This gem was purchased by an Indian prince.
Later, a Parisian jewelry house made a necklace of almost three thousand diamonds, in the very center of which De Beers was located. After the death of the prince, the necklace was stolen. But since 1998, some parts of it began to appear on the London markets. Then the jewelry house that made this creation decided to buy out the found parts, and the necklace was restored for 4 years. Synthetic crystals were installed in place of the missing parts.
Anniversary
650 carat diamond mined in a mine in South Africa in 1895. President William Francis Reitz became its first owner, and 2 years later it was presented to a new owner - the British Queen Victoria, in honor of the anniversary of her reign on the throne. Hence the name of a single large diamond.
Centenary
In 1988 De Beers celebrated its 100th anniversary. In honor of this important event, the 599-carat diamond was given this name. Impeccably polished, a large diamond turned out weighing 273 carats. It has 274 facets. Already 3 years later, it was presented to the public, who remembered it as a stone with the highest purity F1 and the highest color group D. Its shape resembled a heart, which was unique in itself.
The Spirit of de Grisogono
The original weight of a rough diamond was 590 carats. After cutting, this figurereached a value of 312 carats. Like all predecessors, this diamond has African roots. This unusual stone is interesting for its color: it is completely black. The Swiss jeweler Grisogono became its owner. It took him 1 year to learn the ancient way to cut a diamond into a rose shape. Then he set to work. The Swiss jewelery house came up with a ring with a large diamond in its heart set with 702 small colorless diamonds.
Minor Star of Africa
The second name of this stone is "Cullinan II". It ranks fourth in the ranking of the largest diamonds. Initially, its size was 3106 carats, and the weight reached 621 grams! These are colossal numbers. This diamond was found in the British colony of the African region of Transvaal, in the Cullinan mine in 1905. It was so large that it was divided into several parts, which were named "Cullinan I" and "Cullinan II" (or "Small Star of Africa") weighing 317 carats. The last diamond became the decoration of the crown of the British monarchy. Its preliminary cost is estimated at two hundred million dollars.
Incomparable
The honorable third place among the largest diamonds in the world is "Incomparable". Its original weight was 890 carats, and after cutting - 407. It has an amber-yellow hue. This diamond was discovered relatively recently, in the 80s of the XX century. Remarkably, it was not found by a diamond miner.company, but an ordinary girl. She saw him walking near an abandoned mine in the Republic of the Congo (Africa). In 1988, it was first put up for auction by Christie's, where it was bought for twelve million dollars by Theodore Horowitz, a resident of Geneva. After 14 years, this gem reappeared at the auction, but already electronic. There was set a record starting amount of fifteen million dollars. There were no buyers. But in 2013, "Incomparable" took its place in a rose gold necklace set with 91 diamonds. According to some reports, its cost is estimated at twenty million dollars.
Big Star of Africa
The second name of this diamond is "Cullinan I". As noted above, it appeared as a result of the jewelry separation of a large diamond by the best European cutter - Joseph Asher. The weight of a pure diamond is 530 carats. A stone of impeccable purity and depth, has 74 facets.
Already 2 years after its discovery, in 1907, the "Big Star of Africa" was presented to the British King Edward VII in honor of his 66th birthday. Today it can be found on the scepter of the British monarch in the Tower Museum. Its value is estimated at more than four million dollars.
Golden Anniversary
This is the largest diamond in the world, which is known to mankind until today. It is a noble yellow-brown shade, weighing 545 carats. Found this diamond1985. Its original weight was 755 carats. It was discovered by the De Beers diamond mining company in South Africa.
It took two years of painstaking work of the best jeweler Gaby Tolkowsky to cut this diamond. In 1990, he appeared before the eyes of an astonished public. The shape of the cut of this stone corresponded to the shape of a "cushion" with elements of a fiery rose.
A few years later, he was in the Thai community of jewelers, who for a long time showed it to the masters as an exhibition sample. In 1995, several Thai businessmen bought the Golden Jubilee as a gift to their king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, in honor of his half-century of rule. Thanks to this event of stunning beauty, the stone acquired its name.
Now the "Golden Jubilee" is stored in the treasury of the Thai crown, in the Royal Palace, Bangkok. According to some reports, its value fluctuates in a wide range, reaching up to twelve million dollars.
Conclusion
Large gems have always been a luxury item. Monarchs and royal family members used them in their jewelry or household items.
But even today there are rare pieces of jewelry creation, the cost of which is staggering. The most expensive earrings in human history were sold at Sotheby's for $57,400,000. This earrings are called "Apollo" and "Artemis" becauseMade in pink and blue. But they were sold in separate lots. Both earrings were purchased by the same person who remained incognito. We only know that he is from Asia.
Another large diamond earrings, valued at $17,600,000, went under the hammer in Geneva. These are colorless asymmetric diamonds in the form of droplets. The total weight, which is 22 kilograms. Wearing such jewelry is not possible. The buyer remained anonymous. One thing is known, that a jewelry collector has become the new owner of diamond jewelry.
