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Cullinan Diamond

Cullinan Diamant The nine largest pieces of the Cullinan Diamond (1)

The Cullinan Diamond – a sensational find

In January 1905, the largest rough diamond ever found was found in the Premier Mine in South Africa. Its discoverer, Frederick Wells, was rewarded with 10,000 US dollars for this rich haul. The impressive size of the gemstone was 3,106 carats and the Cullinan Diamond was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the owner of the Premier Mine.

As official recognition of Great Britain's granting of internal self-government to South Africa in 1906, it was decided to give the sensational Cullinan Diamond as a gift to the English King Edward VII.

The Cullinan Diamond and its Cut by Joseph Asscher

It was decided to cut several smaller gemstones from the Cullinan diamond. There were several reasons for this: on the one hand, the rough diamond had internal tensions that could have caused it to shatter, and on the other hand, the otherwise amazingly pure diamond had dark spots in the middle.

The renowned cutter Joseph Asscher was commissioned to split the Cullinan diamond in 1908. He had already demonstrated his skills with the Excelsior diamond . First, Asscher studied the diamond in detail over several months in order to think about possible approaches.

During his first attempt to split the Cullinan diamond, Asscher's tool was unable to withstand the gemstone and broke. A second attempt was therefore required, and the splitting was finally successful.

A total of 105 diamonds were cut from the Cullinan Diamond, nine of them of considerable size.

The Cullinan Diamond – its nine major pieces

The nine largest gemstones extracted from the Cullinan Diamond are known as Cullinan I-IX and are all part of the British Crown Jewels , which are kept in the Tower of London.

The Cullinan Diamond I has a size of 530.2 carats and is also known by its alternative name Great Star of Africa. It has a pear-shaped cut with 76 facets and adorns the sceptre of Edward VII, from which it can also be removed and worn on its own for special occasions.

The cushion-shaped Cullinan II, the second largest diamond in this series at 317.4 carats, is known as the Lesser Star of Africa. Today it adorns the royal crown of Great Britain.

The crown of Queen Mary (1867-1953) was adorned with the 94.4-carat Cullinan Diamond III and the 63.6-carat Cullinan Diamond IV.

The Cullinan Diamond V (18.5 carats), the Cullinan Diamond VII (8.8 carats) and the Cullinan Diamond VIII (6.8 carats) were used to make brooches, and the 4.39-carat Cullinan Diamond IX now crowns a ring.

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