The World's Biggest Diamonds

     Have you ever wondered how large the biggest diamonds in the world actually are?  The largest rough gem quality diamond ever found was the Cullinan Diamond.  The rough crystal weighed 3,106.75 carats (or about 1 1/3 pounds).  It was discovered in 1905 in Transvaal, South Africa, which was then a British Colony, and presented to Britain's King Edward VII.  The crystal was cut into 9 major stones (the rough cuts are shown below) and 96 smaller ones.

     The larger gems are now among the British Crown Jewels or in the personal collections of the British Royal Family.  The largest diamond cut from the stone, the Cullinan I or the Great Star of Africa, is a pear shape that weighs 530.20 carats.  It is the world's largest colorless polished diamond and it blazes from the Imperial Sceptre of England.

The second largest diamond cut from the rough crystal is the Cullinan II, or the Lesser Star of Africa.  It is a cushion shape weighing 317.40 carats and it's mounted in the Imperial State Crown.

Both diamonds are on display in the Tower of London.
     Although the Great Star of Africa is the world's largest colorless polished diamond, the largest polished diamond of all is the Golden Jubilee.  It weighs 545.67 carats and is deep yellow-brown in color.

It was discovered in South Africa in 1986 and for several years was simply called the Unnamed Brown.  In 1996, the stone was purchased by a group of Thai businessmen who presented it to King Rama IX of Thailand to honor his Golden Jubilee.  It's now mounted in the Thai Royal Sceptre.