The largest rough diamond ever found is known as the Cullinan Diamond and its story is quite interesting.
Found in South Africa in 1905, this gemstone weighed 3,106 carats and measured 10.1 x 6.35 x 5.9 centimeters when it was first found. To put this into context, the diamond weighed 621 grams, about the same as a basketball or 7,692 bees.
In 1905, Frederick Wells, in the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa, saw the diamond while conducting an inspection. Sir Thomas Cullinan, who owned the mine, received the diamond and the diamond was named after him. The gem was put up for sale, but no one bought it until 1907.
The largest diamond in the world
The diamond was eventually purchased by the government of the Transvaal Colony and presented to King Edward VII of England. However, this massive gemstone was deemed too large to be preserved in its found form, so it was sent to be cut by a company, Joseph Asscher & Co. from Amsterdam.
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The Cullinan Diamond was then cut into nine separate large stones, numbered I-IX, as well as many smaller stones. The first stone, known as Cullinan I, is also known as the Great Star of Africa and weighs only 530.2 carats or 106 grams, the same weight as 32 tea bags.
So where are these nine diamonds now? Well, all nine major stones still belong to the British royal family. The Cullinan I is placed in the Sovereign’s Scepter with the Cross, part of the British Crown Jewels, and was recently presented at the coronation of King Charles III. Most of the other diamonds are set in various pieces of jewelry such as brooches and state jewels such as the Delhi Durbar necklace, which features Cullinan VII and VIII.
Interestingly, there is a slightly larger diamond called the Enigma Diamond, which is not considered gem quality, weighing 555.55 carats or 111 grams and is believed to have come from a meteorite that hit Earth 2 .6 billion years.
