Millennium Star
Weight	203.04 carats (40.608 g)
Color	Grade D Colorless
Cut	Pear
Country of origin	Zaire
Mine of origin	unknown
Date discovered	1990
Cut by	Steinmetz Group
Original owner	unknown
Current owner	De Beers
Estimated value	unknown

The De Beers Millennium Star is, at 203.04 carat (40.608 g), the world's largest top color (D), internally and externally flawless, pear-shaped diamond. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The carat is a unit of mass used for gems, and equals 200 milligrams or 3. ... BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ... Jewelers set 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. ... De Beers was founded in South Africa in 1888 and today comprises rough diamond exploration, mining and trading companies. ... De Beers was founded in South Africa in 1888 and today comprises rough diamond exploration, mining and trading companies. ... Meanings of carat or karat: In the gem business: Carat (mass) is a unit of mass for gems. ... This article is about the gemstone. ...

The diamond was discovered in the Mbuji-Mayi district of Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1990 in alluvial deposits; uncut it was 777 carat (155.4 g). It was purchased by De Beers. It took over three years for workers of the Steinmetz Diamond Group to produce the classic pear form; the actual cutting was done using lasers. Mbuji-Mayi (formerly Bakwanga) serves as the capital of Kasai-Oriental (Anglicized as East-Kasai) province in the south-central Democratic Republic of Congo. ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It was first displayed in October 1999 as the centerpiece of the De Beers Millennium diamond collection. The collection also includes eleven blue diamonds totaling 118 carats (23.6 g) and The Heart of Eternity. They were displayed at London’s Millennium Dome over 2000. There was an attempt on November 7, 2000 to steal the collection. Crime journalist Kris Hollington wrote a book about the attempted theft called Diamond Geezers (ISBN 1843171228) which also features a detailed history of the Millennium Star. Heart of Eternity Weight 27. ... The Millennium Dome, with the Canary Wharf complex in the background, seen from the River Thames Aerial view of the Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome, seen from the Isle of Dogs. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

The largest cut white (D) diamond by weight is the 1991 heart-shaped 273.85 carat (54.77 g) Centenary Diamond. Centenary Diamond Weight 273 carats Color Grade D Colorless Cut Modified Heart Country of origin South Africa Mine of origin Premier Mine Date discovered 11 May 1988 Cut by Mick Harris (DCW) Original owner De Beers Current owner Unknown Estimated value at least USD 100 million The De Beers Centenary...

Miscellany

• The term "Millennium Star" was also used to name the ultimate prize in the Nintendo game Mario Party 3.