One of the largest Diamonds mined to-date; the Cullinan Diamond was originally over 3000cts in weight and was discovered by the Premier Diamond Mining Company in Cullian, South Africa in 1905. The stone was later named after Sir Thomas Cullian, the owner of the mine.
Those organizing the delivery of the gem from South Africa to the UK in 1905 organized a group of detectives to transport the gem, but unknowingly all they carried was a fake as the real gem was sent at the same time in the post!
Since then, the gem has been separated into 105 independent Diamonds, all of which are said to be highly prized. The largest descendant from the Cullinan Diamond is the Star of Africa (also known as Cullinan I), which weighs in at a massive 530ct, and in 1907 King Edward VII had it set into the Royal Sceptre. Until 1985, it remained the largest faceted Diamond in the world and was then surpassed by the Golden Jubilee Diamond which weighs 545cts - and which, incidentally, was discovered in the same mine!
To learn more about this historic Diamond, it’s worth buying a copy of “Diamond - A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession”, by Matthew Hart.
