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Home -> History Of Diamonds 1

History Of Diamonds 1

World's Most Famous Diamonds

These elegant diamonds have sparkled through generations while being handed down to different owners. They have seen the changing face of history through countless eras.

Let's take a closer look at the gems and the stories of greed, passion, envy, obsession, love and worship that have shaped the times gone by.

KOH-I-NOOR ("Mountain of Light")
KOH-I-NOOR ("Mountain of Light")First mentioned in 1304, it weighed 186 carats and was an oval cut stone. It is believed to have once been set in the famous peacock throne of Shah Jehan as one of the peacock's eyes. Re-cut in the reign of Queen Victoria, it is among the British Crown Jewels and now weighs 108.93 carats.

The Cullinan
The largest diamond ever found was 3,106 carats in rough and originally weighed just less than one and a half pounds. It was found in South Africa and was named after the owner of the mining company. The Cullinan was cut into 9 major stones and 96 smaller stones. The largest was named the "Star of Africa" and is 530 carats by itself.

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The Star of Africa
The largest stone cut from the Cullinan. In 1907 this diamond was given to King Edward VII of England, and set into the Royal Scepter. It is kept, along with the other Crown Jewels, safely in the Tower of London. It weighs 530.20 carats and has 74 facets and is still the largest cut diamond in the world.
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The Excelsior
Probably the second largest stone ever found. A high-clarity, blue-white stone, it was found in l893 by a South African mine worker who picked it out of a shovelful of gravel. Because of its irregular shape, it was cut into 21 polished stones, of which the largest was a marquise of 69.80 carats. A smaller, 18-carat marquise stone, cut from the Excelsior was displayed at the l939 World's Fair by De Beers.

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