The largest rough diamond ever found on Earth is Cullinan.Also known as the Star of Africa. It was found in a South African mine in 1905 by Frederick Wells, the manager of the mining company that exploited the deposit.
The find was made 40 kilometers east of the city of Pretoria, while Wells was surveying the mine. The name given to the extraordinary mineral belongs to the owner of this industry, Sir Thomas Cullinan.
When the piece is found, It weighed 3,106 carats (621 grams) and measured 10.1 x 6.35 x 5.9 centimeters.
After the diamond was found, it was put up for sale, but this did not happen immediately. The recipient became the government of the colony of Trasvaal, a province of South Africa, and later King VII of England in 1907. It was given to Edward.
However, the gemstone was too large to be kept in its original formso it was sent to a company in the Netherlands to break it up into smaller pieces.
divided into nine parts
it was like this The Cullinan apple was cut into nine different stones numbered I through IX.and in even smaller ones, at least 150 engraved pieces. The first and largest of the pieces, named Cullinan I, became known as the Great Star of Africa and weighed 530.2 carats or 106 grams.
Right now, Nine diamonds still belong to the British royal family. and the recently celebrated III. They gain importance during the coronation of new kings, as during the proclamation of Carlos. They are part of British royal jewels and are held in the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross.
Cullinan I takes place in Scepter of the CrossUntil 1985, when the King was crowned, it was replaced by another exceptional piece, the Golden Jubilee Diamond, which was the largest cut diamond in the world and held in his right hand.
Cullinan II appears on the Crown of the British Empire, preserved in the Tower of London Museum.
Cullinan III and IV were attached to a clasp that Cullinan IV hung from Cullinan III.
Despite everything, There is a diamond even bigger than Cullinan, it’s called the Enigma Diamond.However, this is not considered a true gemstone. It weighs 555 carats (111 grams) and may have come from a meteorite that fell to Earth 2.6 billion years ago, according to some scientists.
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