Among the largest diamonds ever discovered, the Cullinan stands out as one of the most famous, and to this day remains the largest rough diamond ever found.
Discovered in 1905 in Sir Thomas Cullinan’s mine in Pretoria, the 3106-carat rough stone was bought by the South African government in 1907 and presented to King Edward VII on his birthday to thank him for granting the country independence.
In 1908, the King sent the stone to Joseph Asscher in Amsterdam to be cut. First, it was split in two, then 9 pieces were cut. These will be classified by size from I to IX. Here are the 7 most important stones from this mythical diamond.
The Cullinan I or Great Star of Africa
The largest stone extracted from the rough at 3106 carats, the Cullinan I or Great Star of America weighs 530.20 carats, is pear-cut and has 74 facets. It took almost eight months to cut.
It has been mounted on the Sovereign Sceptre with Cross (see my article on Crown Jewels) and can also be combined with the Cullinan II to form an imposing brooch.
The Cullinan II or Lesser Star of Africa
The second-largest stone to emerge from the Cullinan, the Lesser Star of Africa weighs 317.4 carats, is of exceptional quality and is cushion-cut with 66 facets.
It was mounted on the Imperial State Crown, also part of the British Treasury, below the Black Prince’s ruby (spinel).
The Cullinan III and the Cullinan IV
The Cullinan III and Cullinan IV are both worn as brooches. The pear-cut Cullinan III weighs 94.4 carats and the cushion-cut Cullinan IV weighs 63.6 carats.
The brooch is often worn by Queen Elizabeth II on official occasions.
The Cullinan V
The Cullinan V is heart-cut and weighs 18.8 carats. It was set in a brooch and often worn by Queen Mary, Elizabeth II’s grandmother. The latter wore it on numerous occasions, notably for Prince Philipp’s 99th birthday.
The Cullinan VI and VIII
The Cullinan VI and Cullinan VIII of 8.8 and 6.8 carats respectively form a lovely brooch that was presented by Queen Mary to her granddaughter Elizabeth II in 1953.
