This article is about the diamond called the Star of Africa. For the board game called the Star of Africa, see Afrikan tähti. | | Cullinan I
Great Star of Africa | | Weight | 530.20 carats (106.04 g) | | Color | white (exact colour grade unknown) | | Cut | | | Country of origin | South Africa | | Mine of origin | Premier Mine | | Date discovered | | | Cut by | Asscher Brothers | | Original owner | Premier Diamond Mining Co. | | Current owner | British monarchy | | Estimated value | over £200 million, $400 million |
 The nine largest pieces after the split
 Glass copies of the nine diamonds cut from the Cullinan The Cullinan Diamond, found by Frederick Wells, surface manager of the Premier Diamond Mining Company in Cullinan, Gauteng, South Africa, on January 26, 1905, is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found, at 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g). Although a carbonado found in Brazil weighed more than 3,600 carats (720 g), no gem-quality material could be extracted from it. The stone was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the diamond mine. Afrikan tähti (meaning the star of Africa) is a Finnish board game designed by Kari Mannerla originally in the 1950s. ...
The carat is a unit of mass used for gems, and equals 200 milligrams or 3. ...
BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ...
Jewelers diamonds in groups of similar colors. ...
In order to best utilize a diamond gemstones superlative material properties, a number of different diamond cuts have been developed. ...
The Premier Mine is an underground diamond mine owned by De Beers that is situated in the town of Cullinan, 40 kilometers east of Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa. ...
The Asscher brothers, Abraham and Joseph, ran the Royal Asscher Diamond Company, which was founded in 1854 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ...
This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom, one of sixteen that share a common monarch; for information about this constitutional relationship, see Commonwealth realm; for information on the reigning monarch, see Elizabeth II. For information about other Commonwealth realm monarchies, as well as other relevant articles, see...
The symbol £ represents the pound currency which Britain uses. ...
$, the dollar sign, is primarily used to represent currencies: Many different dollars Many different pesos Different escudos The Brazilian real The Tongan paanga The Nicaraguan córdoba $ may also be: $ (film), also known as Dollars A sigil (computer programming) Category: ...
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Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 414 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,708 × 1,400 pixels, file size: 741 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Copy of nine of the diamonds cut from the famous Cullinan diamond, from the Reich der Kristalle museum in Munich. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 414 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,708 × 1,400 pixels, file size: 741 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Copy of nine of the diamonds cut from the famous Cullinan diamond, from the Reich der Kristalle museum in Munich. ...
The Premier Mine is an underground diamond mine owned by De Beers that is situated in the town of Cullinan, 40 kilometers east of Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa. ...
Cullinan is a small town 30 km east of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. ...
Categories: South Africa stubs | Provinces of South Africa | Gauteng Province ...
is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
For other uses, see 1905 (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the mineral. ...
The carat is a unit of mass used for gems, and equals 200 milligrams or 3. ...
Carbonado is a natural polycrystalline diamond found in alluvial deposits in the Central African Republic and Brazil. ...
Diamond Mine is also another name for the computer game Bejeweled. ...
Sir William Crookes performed an analysis of the Cullinan diamond and mentioned among others its remarkable clarity but also a black spot in the middle. The colours around the black spot were very vivid and changed as the analyzer was turned. According to Crookes this pointed to severe internal strain. Such strains are not uncommon for diamonds, and have actually resulted in causing diamonds to explode when reaching the surface, or even in the pockets of the miners due to the exposure to the miner's body warmth. Sir William Crookes, OM, FRS (17 June 1832 – 4 April 1919) was an English chemist and physicist. ...
The stone was bought by the Transvaal government [1] and presented to King Edward VII. It was cut into three large parts by Asscher Brothers of Amsterdam, and eventually into some 11 large gem-quality stones and a number of smaller fragments. At the time, technology had not yet evolved to guarantee quality of the modern standard, and cutting the diamond was considered difficult and risky. In order to enable Asscher to cut the diamond in one blow an incision was made, half an inch deep. Then a specifically designed knife was placed in the incision and the diamond was split in one heavy blow. The diamond split through a defective spot which was shared in both halves of the diamond. Flag of Transvaal For the Russian theme park, see Transvaal Park. ...
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910. ...
The Asscher brothers, Abraham and Joseph, ran the Royal Asscher Diamond Company, which was founded in 1854 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. ...
For other uses, see Amsterdam (disambiguation). ...
"The tale is told of Joseph Asscher, the greatest cleaver of the day," wrote Michael Hart in his book Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession, "that when he prepared to cleave the largest diamond ever known, the 3,106 carat (632 g) Cullinan, he had a doctor and nurse standing by and when he finally struck the diamond and it broke perfectly in two, he fainted dead away." It turns out the fainting story is a popular myth. Diamond historian Lord Ian Balfour wrote that it was much more likely he opened a bottle of champagne, instead.
The largest polished gem from the stone is named Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa (Picture), and at 530.2 carats (106.04 g)[2] was the largest polished diamond in the world until the 1985 discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond, 545.67 carats (109.13 g), also from the Premier Mine. Cullinan I is now mounted in the head of the Sceptre with the Cross. The second largest gem from the Cullinan stone, Cullinan II or the Lesser Star of Africa, at 317.4 carats (63.48 g), is the third largest polished diamond in the world and is also part of the British crown jewels, as it forms a part of the Imperial State Crown. Both gems are on display at the Tower of London, as parts of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Alternative meaning: Golden Jubilee or 50th anniversary Since 1908, Cullinan I, also known as the Great Star of Africa, had held the title of largest faceted diamond in the world. That however would change, following the 1985 discovery of a large brown diamond of 755 carats (151 g) in the...
Queen Elizabeth II holding the Sceptre with the Cross The Sceptre with the Cross, also known as the St Edwards Sceptre, the Sovereigns Sceptre or the Royal Sceptre, is a sceptre of the British Crown Jewels. ...
The Imperial State Crown is one of the British Crown Jewels. ...
For other uses, see Tower of London (disambiguation) Her Majestys Royal Palace and Fortress The Tower of London, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is an historic monument in central London, England on the north bank of the River Thames. ...
Coronation Chair and Regalia of England The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at various other state functions. ...
In 1905, transport from South Africa to England posed a bit of a problem with regard to security. Detectives from London were placed upon a steamer ship that was rumoured to carry the stone, but this was a diversionary tactic. The stone on that ship was a fake, meant to attract those who would be interested in stealing it. The actual diamond was sent to England in a plain box via parcel post. [3]
Rumours abound of a "second half" of the Cullinan diamond, as there are certain indications that the diamond was part of a larger crystal. It is suggested that before Frederick Wells sold the diamond to Sir Thomas Cullinan he broke off a piece which sized in at about 1,500 to 2,000 carats (300 to 400 g). If this were true, the original Cullinan diamond would have weighed approximately 5,000 carats (1 kg). [4]
See also A number of large or extraordinarily colored diamonds have gained fame, both as exquisite examples of the beautiful nature of diamonds, and because of the famous people who wore, bought, and sold them. ...
Footnotes - ^ Goodchild: Precious Stones (1908) Page 140 and also Crookes who studied the rough Cullinan before being cut: Crookes: Diamonds (1909) Page 77
- ^ Overview of the different Cullinan Diamonds
- ^ Cullinan & Cullinane Family Genealogy Project Website dealing with all Cullinan family members including Sir Thomas Major Cullinan after whom the diamond was named.
- ^ Crookes: Diamonds, chapter on the Cullinan In fact this is debatable. Sir William Crookes (the scientist working with Faraday and the first to study irradiated diamonds) was allowed to study the Cullinan before it was cut. Although not directly addressing the issue he clearly indicates the piece broke in a natural way and not by a man-made cut: "It was a fragment, probably less than half, of a distorted octahedral crystal; the other portions still await discovery by some fortunate miner.(page 77 and page 76 shows a photo of the rough Cullinan taken by the author).
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